Navy secretary pulls sexual harassment investigative authority from unit commanders

[Tony]

San Diego, CA (Tribune News Service) -- Unit commanders in the Navy and Marine Corps will no longer have investigative authority over sexual harassment allegations, according to a department-wide message sent Friday by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.

Effective immediately, the message says, commanding officers must escalate complaints to the next higher-level commander, who will then appoint an investigating officer. That investigator should be from outside the command and “shall not be familiar with the subject or the complainant,” the message says.