Missoula County Seeks Ruling on DOJ Investigation

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — The Missoula County attorney is asking a federal judge to decide if the U.S. Department of Justice has the authority to investigate his office.

In 2012, the DOJ announced it was investigating the way the city, University of Montana campus police and the prosecutor's office handled sexual assault cases.

The law enforcement agencies reached settlement agreements with the DOJ last year calling for more training and policy changes.

County Attorney Fred Van Valkenburg has refused to cooperate with the DOJ investigation. On Tuesday, he filed a motion seeking a declaratory judgment.

The DOJ had offered to settle if the county attorney's office added staffers and designated some prosecutors to focus on sexual assault cases. Van Valkenburg countered that his office would help the law enforcement agencies meet their agreements with the DOJ.