LANSING (WWJ) Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and State Police are launching a joint investigation into the Boy Scouts of America.
This comes in the wake of learning of sexual abuse allegations during the litigation of a recent civil case, Nessel's office said.
“My department has proven our commitment to accountability through similar sex abuse investigations and I believe—with the public’s help—we can secure justice for survivors who endured abuse through Boy Scouts of America,” Nessel said in a release. “We stand ready to fight for those wronged by people they should have been able to trust."
Both agencies are asking the public to report instances of abuse to help the statewide investigation.
Prosecutors, special agents and victim’s advocates will all work on the probe.
This is not the first time BSA has come under fire. Time published an editorial in 2019, reporting an analyst was hired to go through decades worth of complaint files against BSA. She testified she had found over 12,250 complaints of sexual abuse within BSA committed by nearly 8,000 different assailants from 1944 to 2016, according to Time.
BSA told Time in a statement they had never withheld any relevant information from Congress or “enabled” abusers.
The organization has 2.2 million members nationwide between ages 5 and 21, and approximately 800,000 volunteers, according to BSA's official website.
The hotline number is (844) 324-3374. It’s open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tipsters can remain anonymous.