Hiding under the Color of Authority: Eric Wess Uller and his Decades-Long Rampage of Child Sexual Abuse

There are uniform characteristics of perpetrators of child sexual abuse; two of which stand out. Perpetrators generally put themselves in positions that provide easy access to children or adolescents, and they exploit the power or authority of those positions to sexually coerce their victims. There are nonetheless characteristics of perpetrators that are assuredly unique. Effectively posing as a police officer, while also claiming to be a medically trained practitioner capable of performing physical examinations, is an example of such. Relying on both of these misrepresentations, Eric Wess Uller grievously sexually abused over ninety underprivileged adolescent boys who were participants in a youth serving organization (YSO). Arrested after a twenty-year rampage, Mr. Uller then killed himself following his release on bail. Though anomalous in some respects, this case is best understood as a vital underscoring of the vulnerability of underprivileged teenage boys. Where the shortcomings of YSO's are concerned, the commitment to vigilance must be sustained irrespective of the hierarchical status of the personnel involved. Policy recommendations, informed by the limitations of diagnostic predictions, are included.