The Salvation Army forces most of their "officers", what they call their clergy, to attend officer training school. The school is the equivalent of an associates degree; a two year school that teaches accounting, church philosophy, management, and other necessary attributes to run a church/charity.
However, despite the fact the Salvation Army sometimes denies they allow this, some people are allowed to become "auxiliary captains". These are parishioners who are lazy, enthusiastic, and usually poor. The Salvation Army allows them to run churches and charities, ordains them as ministers, without attending the school. These people are usually very corrupt and have "friends" in the Salvation Army heirarchy. They constantly go against Salvation Army policy.
The Officers who recently retired from Portsmouth, Scioto County, OH Salvation Army are examples of "auxiliary captains." They hired their daughter from two states away to perform tasks that many people in Scioto County, a very impoverished Appalacian county, are more qualified to perform. Nepotism is against Salvation Army regulations. Their daughter worked for her parents from April 2000 until they left in July 2003.
The Salvation Army is found in very destitute areas. They have a very high rate, for the amount of churches found in the US as opposed to other Christian churches, of substantiated child molestation. Child molestation in the Salvation Army averages about one officer/year molesting several children, usually girls. Physical, emotional, and mental abuse to the children of parishioners and necessitous community members from the officers, volunteers, and others associated with the Salvation Army is common throughout the entire Salvation Army. I have personally witnessed such abuse of children. Programs like the auxiliary captains benefit sociopathic individuals like child molesters and abusers to have a comfortable living maltreating parishioners, the community, tax payers, and the Salvation Army itself.
The Portsmouth Officers retired officially in October with all the regalia that officers who attended the school receive. The Salvation Army had scheduled to remove the Portsmouth Officers in November 2003, yet they were removed from Ohio in July 2003.
In February 2003, Scioto County was in a state of emergency and funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were requested and obtained. The Salvation Army assists in obtaining funds by filing the paperwork for FEMA funds; the Salvation Army works closely with FEMA in post disaster relief. Later that February, the Portsmouth Officers purchased land in Vineland, NJ. The federal government commenced an investigation into alleged FEMA fund fraud in Scioto County July 2003. The Portsmouth Officers were immediately moved from Ohio to New Jersey at the onset of the investigation, yet they still collect mail from the Portsmouth Salvation Army. They were moved a total of five times in twenty years.
Reputable officers are moved significantly less than the Portsmouth Officers. Is the Salvation Army like the Catholic Church and hiding their most unscrupulous people in dysfunctional areas like Scioto County, OH? The Catholics do NOT have a monopoly on abusive clergy. Salvation Army headquarters in Alexandria, VA is aware of the Portsmouth Officers, yet they refused to do anything until the federal government initiated an investigation. The new Portsmouth, OH officers are recently ordained auxiliary captains.
Our tax dollars goes towards this fraud and corruption. Many abusive clergy are excused for their behavior. If you know of any clergy abuse or are a survivor of clergy abuse, please contact the state children's protective services along with the police station where the abuse occurred. Please bring people like this to justice.
Victoria
Portsmouth, Ohio
U.S.A.
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