CAC partners renew commitment to protecting children

May 9—The big picture, Johnson County District Attorney Dale Hanna said, is to ensure that all parties involved continue to work together for the benefit of child victims and their affected family members.

"To work together to do all we can to reduce the trauma to these children who have already been traumatized," Hanna said.

Statistics show that one in four girls and one in six boys experience sexual abuse before their 18th birthday.

In a move partially housekeeping but no less important, officials from the Child Advocacy Center of Johnson County, the Johnson County district and county attorney's offices, area law enforcement officials and others gathered April 30 at CAC's Cleburne facility to renew those commitments.

Specifically, representatives from the agencies involved signed updated interagency and protocol agreements.

"The interagency agreement says we're working together," CAC Executive Director Tammy King said. "The protocol agreement says this is how we're going to work these cases together."

The Johnson County CAC formed in 1996 with the first forensic interview having been conducted in 1998.

"Before the CAC law enforcement and Child Protective Services would work these cases separately," King said. "Which often led to cases being compromised with the victims being victimized again through the system failing them."

The interagency agreements ensures that all entities involved in cases of child abuse communicate and work with each other throughout the process.

"In order to have an advocacy center you have to have an agreement between the prosecutor's office, CPS, law enforcement and the center," King said. "And now over the years they've added a medical component and mental health component so it's continued growth in strength and the ways that we serve our kids."

Protocol agreements must be revisited and updated at least every three years, King said, though based on new legislation and other changes in circumstances they can be updated more often as needed.

"We don't do the protocol revisions on our own at the center," King said. "Everybody, all the partners we work with, are involved in the revisions."

In addition to the necessary recommitments to updated agreements by all parties involved, King said she also keeps abreast with and shares information with other advocacy centers.

"Texas leads the nation with 70 advocacy centers and we have an amazing state association," King said. "So myself and other directors frequently talk to each other about different situations that come up or policy issues.

"Often times things we institute in Texas we'll see move on to the national level."

Through working together, the victim always remains the focus of attention, Hanna said.

"These child victims can now be interviewed at the center without having to go to the police station," Hanna said. "So it's a child-friendly environment for them and a better environment for us to be able to check the details we need to check the details we need to in order to make proper decisions on whether to go forward with the case."

Johnson County Attorney Bill Moore agreed.

"A lot of time the defendant and their attorney after viewing tape of these interviews, if they see how articulate the child is and what they're going to say, a lot of times they'll plea and we don't have to have a trial. Which relieves the child of going through that trauma again."

The CAC, Hanna said, provides the first critical link in cases of child abuse.

"It's been a tremendous benefit and we just thank God that it's here," Hanna said.

This year marked the first that several ISD police departments within the county signed the agreements.

"We'd been working with several of them already," King said. "But we wanted to make it official and formal since new legislation recently went through and a lot of schools now have their own police departments."

The benefits are many, King added given that ISD officers often know many of the students in their school district well and have the benefit of being in the schools full time thus better able to pick up on signs of potential problems.

"They also have the benefit of being able to reach out to the city police departments in their school district area," King said. "Because a lot of times these things may not have happened on campus so both departments are able to work cooperatively on these cases when that happens."

Drugs, crimes against children and child pornography cases continue to get worse, Hanna said.

"The CAC and the cooperative efforts between all our agencies has become a great tool for law enforcement in fighting these crimes," Hanna said. "And the effort that this group puts in is reflected in the verdicts that we see at the courthouse."

Hard, challenging, difficult work but also necessary, Burleson Police Chief Billy Cordell said.

"All the staff here and everyone involved, all that you do for our kids, you're doing a great job," Cordell said.

Moore commented on progress made since 1996.

"Always a lot of work to be done, but we've come a long way since we've started," Moore said. "But we couldn't have done it without all the board members, law enforcement and the support we get from everyone involved."

"Childhood should never be about pain, fear or suffering," a sign in the CAC center reads. "It should be about endless laughter, unexpected hugs and unconditional LOVE."

Through helping child victims overcome tragedy through support, free counseling and other services, CAC members and community partners work to do just that.