The Ellipsis Iowa treatment center is seen, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Johnston, Iowa. Police officers have responded nearly 1,000 times in the past three years to the juvenile treatment center where a woman was killed, according to police records.
Galloway-Menke had worked at Ellipsis for a year. Hook questioned whether the facility provides adequate training for staff dealing with sometimes dangerous clients. Ellipsis formed in August 2021 when two nonprofit organizations merged. It serves more than 750 youths and their families each day with residential care and treatment, counseling and other services, according to its website. Young people housed at the facility in the Des Moines suburb of Johnston are there on court orders, the organization said in a statement to the AP.
The evening Galloway-Menke was injured, the teenager had left the center without permission. Galloway-Menke and another staffer followed him but kept at a distance — protocol established by Ellipsis, Hook said. A supervisor and other workers also went outside but stayed farther back, he said. Ellipsis said its policy calls for staff to keep runaways “in sight, as best we can, until local law enforcement arrives so we can keep police informed and to minimize potential harm to the youth or anyone else in the community.” The organization said it believes staff acted as safely as possible after the 15-year-old left the center.