IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) – The Boy Scouts of America say they knew of cases of abuse in their ranks, and now they’re turning over the information to law enforcement.

The revelation comes after the Boy Scouts tried to protect its records of possible child predators in court.

For decades the Scouts tracked pedophiles and people it called ineligible volunteers and kept those files — and the names — secret.

In response, the Boy Scouts of America said:

“There have been instances where people misused their positions in Scouting to abuse children, and in certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate, or wrong. For any episode of abuse, and where those involved in Scouting failed to protect, or worse, inflicted harm on children, we extend our deepest apologies and sympathies to victims and their families.”

The change comes following a court order to make the documents public and an outside investigation into the files dating back to the mid-60′s.

“Also, the BSA will undertake a similar review and analysis of the IV files from 1985-present, with a goal of ensuring that all good-faith suspicion (1965-present) of abuse has been reported to law enforcement,” the group said in a statement.

The outside review of more than 1,200 cases spanning 30-years was conducted by a professor of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences who has worked with the FBI.

The report says the Boy Scouts internal efforts did force many suspected child molesters out of scouting. But it also says in some cases “mistakes were made.”

The Scouts are continuing their own investigation into possible abuse cases.