Working in Howard County?s Child Advocacy Center, Lt. Ronald Denton has heard about some of the most depraved human acts imaginable.
“Child victims are the most vulnerable victims we have,” said Denton, commander of the Family Crimes and Sexual Assault Division of the Howard County Police Department. “It?s tough when you have a victim that?s 2 years old. The average officer doesn?t want to handle these cases every day. It takes a special kind of person who can deal with doing this.”
Denton said a case in the late 1990s in which a child was scalded with hot water stays with him.
Prosecutors eventually got a conviction, and the girl was transferred to a foster mother. To this day, Denton receives pictures and updates, letting him know everything is well.
“This child was about the age of my son, and it really affected me,” said the father of two.
Denton?s center, the Listening Place, recently celebrated its 15th anniversary.
Since 2000,detectives and social workers have recorded victim statements here, through hidden cameras inside picture frames in interview rooms at the converted house within walking distance of police headquarters.
The recordings are intended to convince prosecutors of the validity of a child?s statement while pressuring a suspect to plead guilty, sparing the child the ordeal of testifying in court.
Assistant State?s Attorney Lisa Broten said the taped statements lend credibility to the victim.
“When you hear the words come out of the 8-year-old?s mouth, you believe more that they really did say that and weren?t led by a detective,” she said. “I actually seek these cases out and ask for them. They can be emotionally draining, but they can be so emotionally rewarded. Knowing you can right these wrongs, the personal satisfaction is tremendous.”
The center provides on-site medical exams and is designed in a way ? with mural-painted walls, toys and child-sized furniture ? to put young victims at ease.
“I think the child-friendly atmosphere really encourages the kids to talk,” said social worker Iona Lewis, who works at the site.
In 2005, the center served 532 people, including victims and affected family members. Of the victims, 185 were under the age of 6; 188 were between 7 and 12; and 138 were between 13 and 18.
