District of Columbia must face lawsuit after employee sexually assaulted detained teen

He moved her to private staff offices. Control room staff opened doors for him. He was regularly the only officer on the girls’ unit and routinely escorted her alone. 

The facility had roughly 150 surveillance cameras. Footage captured him entering and exiting her cell, making sexual gestures, grabbing her. Nobody watched. The court found staff had never been trained to monitor footage for grooming or assault. 

Staffing made it possible. An independent oversight body documented “acute staffing shortages” during the abuse period, finding the center 28 youth development representatives and one supervisor below the safety minimum. The practice of assigning female staff to the girls’ unit had been abandoned. 

The timing told its own story. The District received a preliminary staffing report on December 13, 2021. According to the complaint, the employee abused the girl two days later. A draft report landed January 21, 2022. He abused her the next day. 

The court accepted allegations the District had known about the employee for years. The complaint detailed at least six prior incidents involving detained girls between roughly 2017 and 2021. Two were formally reported to supervisors. The District never investigated, never disciplined, and never notified child protective services as required.