Law enforcement, human services join in child abuse prevention network

By Michelle Ruckdaschel

Pioneer Staff Writer

      It can happen anywhere and anytime. A child is abused or exploited, but the crime remains silent if it’s not exposed.

      This week in Bemidji, area professionals are training how to better investigate these crimes against children.

      Nearly 60 law enforcement, child protection, social work, health care and education professionals are attending the four-day Child Abuse and Exploitation Investigative Techniques program this week at the Hampton Inn & Suites.

      The professionals represent Bemidji, Beltrami County, Red Lake and White Earth reservations, the FBI, Thief River Falls and Polk County. Presenting the federally funded program is the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Fox Valley Technical College.

      U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Tom Heffelfinger, who stopped in Bemidji Tuesday afternoon, said the heart of an aggressive response to child abuse is having police, social workers, prosecutors work together with common training, a common mission as and direct communication.

      The purpose of this week’s training is two-fold: to provide investigation training and promote networking, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald.

      “To make sure that we have everybody on board at the same place,” she added.

      Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Wilton added, “If nobody works together, in the end, it is the child that suffers.”

      Heffelfinger said the training not only brought together people from different professions, but people from different jurisdictions.

      He said District of Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes major crimes such as child abuse on the Red Lake Reservation. However, he said, child abuse is a societal problem.

      “We believe that the whole region would benefit from enhanced training and visibility of the issue,” Heffelfinger said

      Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Braun said the response from those attending the training has been fabulous.

      Bruce Preece, director of the Public Safety Department and police chief in Bemidji, agreed.

      “We’ve had some real positive reports back from our officers,” he said. “In fact I think it’s kind of spread.”

      He said the Bemidji police officers attending the training have told other officers about it, some of whom have then rearranged their schedules to sit in on the seminars on their own time.

      “This is a great opportunity for local law enforcement,” Preece said. “This high quality type of training typically is not available on the local level.”

      He added, “Those are truly professional speakers. People who are experts in their field and we’re lucky to have them.”

      He also stressed the importance of networking.

      “Quality of training certainly is important, but almost equally important is the opportunity to network,” Preece said.

      He added, “When these officers walk out of the room, sometimes they’ve solved a crime by just comparing notes or picking up a new idea.”

      Braun said everyone attending the training here has such an important role in cracking crimes against children.

      “You can’t successfully prosecute child abuse unless everybody’s on the same page,” Braun said. “Everybody has to be on the same page and share information.”

      Wilton said child abuse cases are the hardest cases to investigate and to prove.

      “When you have a car accident you can go to the scene and see all the wreck and the damage. When somebody gets shot, they have a bullet hole in them,” Wilton said. “You can look at children and you could never know.”

      He added that this week’s training on investigating child abuse and exploitation will help children dramatically.

      “If you can ask a child the right question the right way, you may get a response,” Wilton said.

“But if you treat them like an adult, they’ll never tell you anything.”

      Heffelfinger agreed.

      “When done well by police, when done well by prosecutors, the process actually starts the healing,” he said.

      And helping abused or exploited children, Heffelfinger said, is what really matters.

      He said those who solve a child abuse crime and handle the child appropriately can prevent that child from becoming an abuse offender or an enabler later in life.

      “You have the opportunity, if you deal with the child correctly, to break that cycle,” Heffelfinger said.

      Heffelfinger said there will be follow-up to this week’s training, including a cooperative law enforcement effort between local agencies.

      “We really are fortunate to be able to get this national level facility, not only to Bemidji, but to Minnesota,” he said.

      He praised the professionalism amongst law enforcement in the Bemidji region, saying the police chiefs, sheriffs, and tribal officials in the area work together well.

      “If we’re going to put an effort in something we want to do it in an area where there’s going to be receptivity. I’m confident that this is going to be helpful,” Heffelfinger said.