Advocates note cases

By NICK GEORGIOU

April 17, 2009
The local Child Protective Services office is experiencing a major backlog of cases, city officials said Thursday.

From January through the end of March, the CPS unit covering Webb County received about 600 reports of possible child abuse or neglect.

That figure doesn't include the cases left over from the end of 2008.

Also, of the approximately 600 reports, CPS concluded that about 70 involved possible child abuse.

"These are staggering figures," said Webb County Attorney Anna Laura Cavazos Ramirez.

"We are understaffed. We need to put more effort into the fight."

Cavazos was among several panelists Thursday morning to participate in the local Children Advocacy Center's 10th annual conference, held at the Embassy Suites.

Other notable speakers included Julian Sher, the award-winning investigative journalist who wrote the critically acclaimed book "Hunting the Predator - Caught on the Web: Inside the Police Hunt to Rescue Children from On-line Predators."

The Embassy Suites conference room was filled with social workers, school counselors and local law enforcement employees.

"It takes a team to protect a child, and you are our team," Sylvia Bruni, Children's Advocacy Center executive director, told the crowd before the day's first panel discussion began.

"I almost wish there were two of each of you."

Despite the CPS case backlog, the county has progressed from where it was 15 years ago, when problems plagued the child abuse system, Bruni said.

For example, the county has seen a dramatic rise in the prosecution of child abuse cases, she said.

Nonetheless, the number of cases is daunting. And for every child outcry, there are another 10 in hiding, Bruni said.

The first panel was composed of Laredo Police Chief Carlos R. Maldonado, District Attorney Isidro "Chilo" Alaniz, Sheriff Martin Cuellar, Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez and Cavazos.

The panel discussed issues surrounding local and area efforts to combat child abuse in addition to a collaborative action plan set in motion by the District Attorney's Office.

Maldonado spoke first and started off with an anecdote about his time as chief of the New Mexico State Police, when the department put together a team composed of its best officers.

The team's charge was to investigate high-profile homicides and other complex cases.

But though the team proved to be successful, the department "omitted the emotional and psychological well-being of those involved in the cases," Maldonado said.

"The emotion sticks with us. They linger," he said.

To help Laredo Police Department employees who may experience emotional trauma or distress because of the cases they handle, Maldonado suggested LPD create counseling services for officers.

"We need to have some sort of support for our employees," he said.

Following Maldonado, Alaniz spoke.

He said the District Attorney's Office has evolved in the past decade, citing the creation of the special victims unit, which handles domestic violence and child abuse cases.

"From January to March, we indicted 31 child abuse cases," he told the crowd.

"That's a high number."

Also, Alaniz discussed recent legislation, such as Jessica's Law, which made it easier to prosecute cases of child abuse.

"These cases are so complex," he said.

"They cannot be won by one agency doing the work."

Cuellar addressed a couple of initiatives that tackle child abuse as well.

He said the Sheriff's Department has started an online predator training course for deputies in addition to a fingerprinting and an Amber Alert training program.

"It's been a big success," he said.

"We need to keep up with technology and do the best we can to provide service to the community."

The department's biggest priority right now, however, is its Keeping 'R Kids Safe Program, where deputies patrol the outer perimeters of schools.

Following the panel, Sher, the award-winning investigate journalist, addressed conference attendees who attended his session.

During Sher's session, he mostly gave a rundown of his book, "Hunting the Predator - Caught on the Web: Inside the Police Hunt to Rescue Children from On-line Predators."

"Of all the assignment's I've had, this was the hardest," he told the crowd.

"It's by far the most gut-wrenching. They are the most defenseless victims."

Sher said that a national clearing house center estimates that there are about 20 million Web pages with child abuse images and videos.

Those images are commonly referred to as child pornography, but Sher said that term is not accurate.

"It's not porno. It's not consensual. It's not about eroticism or sex. It's child rape and abuse," he said.

Some online predators have gone as far as teaching other pedophiles how to lure in children on the Internet, he said.

One pedophile was quoted as telling another man: "I'll come down and show you.

You have to think of them as pieces of meat."

To counter online predators, whom he described as the new face of crime in the 21st century, Sher suggested parents or guardians closely monitor children's Internet surfing.