![]() ![]() “We felt it our duty to report this directly to you first,” they wrote to Cox’s office. Turley’s behavior, the anonymous letter writers added, “created an environment where those who serve under him are reluctant or unwilling to share information that is counter to what he wants to hear, this is an extremely dangerous thing to have in a military organization and leads to things being covered up or neglected if it will make the boss angry.” ![]() That reflects “the largest percentage increase recorded over the history of the program,” the report states. states, as well as Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Guam - reported a 22% increase in sexual assault reports, rising from 704 in 2021 to 856. In fiscal 2022, the National Guard Bureau - which administers National Guard units in all 50 U.S. Sexual violence is a growing problem in state National Guard units. He joined kidnapping survivor and anti-sexual violence activist Elizabeth Smart at a Camp Williams town hall meeting on the topic in spring 2022. Under Turley’s leadership, the Utah National Guard held a sexual violence awareness campaign in November 2021. “He talks a good game and even makes videos about how ‘it starts with me’ and how we all need to do our part to set a proper culture, but his actions fall short,” the letter said, continuing, “General Turley sent a clear message to the entire National Guard that he is ok with sexual misconduct, but not ok with the supervisors who report it.” They alleged the general retaliated against the commander who issued the punishment by refusing to promote the commander. The writers cited a specific case in which they claimed Turley overturned a reprimand of an officer who was investigated for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a subordinate. The letter also alleged that there were “several cases of inappropriate sexual behavior where General Turley has chosen to gloss over or fail to address the problem head on,” adding that his typical response was to move the supervisor or refer them to counseling. We write this with the belief that you do not know what is happening under General Turley’s leadership, or you would have dealt with it by now.”Īccording to the writers, Turley allegedly “routinely” made threats of physical violence against his subordinates in the guard, using phrases such as “‘I will shoot you in the face,’” and “‘there will be bodies in the street,’” they wrote. “We know that you must trust General Turley to follow your vision for a professional working environment, that trust is not being honored. “As the Commander-in-Chief of the Utah National Guard, you are responsible for the overall climate and safety for all of those who serve in its ranks,” the letter read. ![]() ![]() It leveled several accusations at Turley, alleging that he was “responsible for a hostile and unhealthy work environment” in the guard. The anonymous letter said it was written by multiple members of the Utah National Guard. 28, 2021, a constituent services staffer forwarded a letter to the executive assistant of Cox’s chief of staff, Jon Pierpont: “No contact information was provided for a response, but I thought it was important to share,” the staffer wrote in the email. An administrative officer for the Department of Government Operations wrote, the “governor’s office claims ownership of these records as product created for the office by DHRM,” preventing the division from releasing them.Įarly in the workday on Sept. The Utah Division of Human Resource Management denied a request from The Tribune for its own investigative records. The state didn’t launch its own investigation into Turley until September 2022, spurred by a call from an Army Times reporter who asked Cox’s office for a comment on the Army’s investigation, according to emails obtained by The Tribune. On the day of Turley’s suspension, USA Today reported that a two-year DAIG investigation found Turley had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate soldier, citing unnamed sources familiar with the inquiry.īut two years before Cox’s decision - based on the federal findings - the governor’s office was alerted to broad allegations that Turley had made violent threats toward guard members, mishandled sexual misconduct cases and was “responsible for a hostile and unhealthy work environment,” according to 2021 emails obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune. ![]()
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