Attention all Airmen: Air Force holds sexual assault offenders accountable, sexual assault convictions are now online Published Oct. 28, 2013 By Col. Phil Stewart 9th Reconnaissance Wing commander BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Team Beale, recently the U.S. Air Force began publishing sexual assault convictions online. Anyone can access this public website and view the more than 100 sexual assault convictions from across the Air Force, even viewing them by base. After a few minutes of reviewing the facts of these cases, you will soon see many cases are very similar - they involve: 1) The use of alcohol. 2) The absence of personal respect for the victim. 3) The absence of the victims' consent. The Air Force has zero tolerance for sexual assault. Airmen who are convicted of sexual assault are held accountable by military judges and court-martial panels. Punishments include jail time, rank reductions, forfeiture of pay, hard labor and punitive discharges. Many times these victims were co-workers and former friends - people who trusted their assailant. The offenders elected to violate that trust and were punished accordingly. A number of these cases involve Airmen assaulting fellow Airmen. Below is a case from 9th Reconnaissance Wing: United States v SSgt. Todd J. Barlow Barlow was found guilty in 2011 of Maltreatment of a Subordinate by sexually harassing them, Wrongful Sexual Contact, Forcible Sodomy, and Indecent Acts. There were multiple incidents of sexual misconduct and multiple victims in this case. The relevant facts are: Staff Sgt. Todd Barlow, 9th Security Forces Squadron, supervised several female subordinates. He made comments to them claiming they needed his rank to help them. He would say things like, "You need my friendship because I'm a staff sergeant and can help you stay out of trouble." One of the victims felt like she had to perform sex acts and touch him or let him touch her because of his rank, even though she didn't want to. She thought if she didn't, Barlow would make her "work life" harder. Another victim testified that after one of her first encounters with Barlow, he said that he "had her back" and he could "trust her." Later, when she attempted to turn down his sexual advances, he claimed that she was his Airman, and he was in control. This victim testified that once, she was walking on base when Barlow pulled his vehicle next to her and said he would give her a ride. Once in the car, Barlow drove her off base for lunch. After going to a drive-through, he parked in a deserted parking lot and tried to kiss her. She refused, but he tried again. The victim said, "no!" Barlow then unfastened his pants, exposed his genitals, and then asked the victim if she liked it. The victim demanded he take her back to base. Barlow refused and then got in the back seat and said, "I guess you'll have to drive us back." Barlow knew she didn't have a driver's license. After a few minutes, he pulled her into the back seat and began to touch her breasts through her clothing. Then Barlow pulled down her top and t-shirt and groped her breasts. He unfastened the belt to her pants and attempted to unbutton them. The victim did not want to report the incident because Barlow was senior in rank, and she felt she would not be believed. Finally, while deployed to Iraq, Barlow was posted with another member and repeatedly requested the victim perform oral sex on him. The victim asked him to leave, and Barlow agreed only if she performed oral sex on him. Then he exposed himself and eventually forced the victim to perform oral sex. Barlow was sentenced to a dishonorable discharge, 36 months confinement and reduction to E-1. Sexual offenders reject our core values in favor of following their own criminal desires. These undisciplined Airmen reject the Wingman concept and are a direct threat to the world's greatest Air Force. As required by many state laws, convicted Airmen must register in their jurisdiction's sexual assault registry. These sex offender lists include the names and addresses of convicted sex offenders and are publicly available online. Criminal sanctions are not the only Air Force response to sexual assault. Effective three months ago, Airmen who commit a sexual assault will have administrative discharge proceedings initiated against them and may be retained only if they meet a cumulative multi-part test. For Airmen at Beale, only the 9th RW commander can waive this requirement and only after concluding that the Airman meets the same multi-part retention test. I encourage all Airmen to visit the below website and review the facts of the cases, which resulted in these Airmen being convicted of sexual offenses. Then educate and warn fellow Airmen about the consequences of committing these crimes. Earlier this year, Team Beale signed a pledge to combat sexual assault. The pledge read: · Sexual Assault- · I will not tolerate it. · I will not condone it. · I will not ignore it. When you see a situation that isn't right, be a good wingman; intervene and insist your fellow Airman treat others with respect. You will regret being a passive bystander when a few words of intervention can forever positively change the lives of Airmen around you. To view the website visit: http://www.afjag.af.mil/sexualassaultprosecution/index.asp.