Thursday, March 22, 2007

Pentagon acts to crack down on recruiter misconduct

A Marine recruiter talks with a student at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington, during lunch break

WASHINGTON -- The military is considering installing surveillance cameras in recruiting stations across the country, the most dramatic of several new steps to address a rise in misconduct allegations against military recruiters -- including sexual assaults of female prospects and bending the rules to meet quotas.

In a letter to Congress obtained by the Globe, a top Pentagon personnel official outlined the initiatives, which also include a ban on recruiters meeting with prospective recruits of the opposite sex unless a supervisor is present.

Recruiters may also be required to give potential recruits "applicant's rights cards," spelling out what a recruiter can and cannot do to get them to enlist, and the military may set up a hot line to report violations, according to the letter.

Read the rest at the Boston Globe