Citizen’s Police Academy: Crimes against Children and Juvenile Investigations

Written by Amanda Coers – Detective Robert Lee is a funny guy, with a “prankster” sense of humor and a lot of energy. But his job isn’t funny at all. Detective Lee deals with Crimes Against Children and Juvenile Crime: he spends countless hours working to put people who hurt children behind bars, and on the flip side, he also has to work cases involving children as offenders.

With an extremely heartbreaking and stressful job, it’s no wonder Lee is well known for a few pranks around the Law Enforcement Center.

“Because of my job, and what I do, I have a sick sense of humor,” Detective Lee told the Citizen’s Police Academy on Tuesday, March 7th. Detective Lee started his law enforcement career in the San Angelo Police Department, and later came to Brownwood as a patrol officer, eventually moving into the Child Investigations Division. Though he admits it’s the last place he predicted he’d be in his career, he’s passionate about his work.

“I absolutely love what I do” said Lee.

Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of Detective Lee’s job is working cases involving children who have been sexually abused. Child molestation is rampant in the community, with 179 cases investigated last year in Brownwood alone. This year the stats are looking to be higher, with 54 cases reported already in 2017. Just last week seven children were reported to have been abused. Most cases involve children ages 3 to 10 years old.

“It’s vicious,” Detective Lee said.

Through his investigations, Detective Lee works closely with Child Protective Services (CPS) and a local organization: the Heart of Texas Children’s Advocacy Center (HTCAC), which works with law enforcement to aid children who have been abused.

“These counselors help these kids tell their story, and what happened to them” Detective Lee told the class. Without the work of the Heart of Texas Children’s Advocacy Center, victims would inadvertently be re-victimized over and over, by having to retell their story to police officers, detectives, lawyers, CPS agents, and finally the courts.

When an allegation of abuse is made, a trained counselor working with HTCAC interviews the child. HTCAC staff and volunteers can also arrange for additional counseling for the children and their family members as they work through the lengthy process of investigation and prosecution of their offenders.

As part of the investigation, victims will usually undergo an examination by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. Currently there are no SANE trained nurses in the Brownwood area, and victims have to be transported to Abilene for their exams. If a child reports abuse at 3 p.m. it can take an hour or two to travel to Abilene, another hour or longer to wait for an available nurse, then another hour for the exam, and an hour or two for the exam results to be documented and given to law enforcement before the child can be released, often returning home well after midnight.

“If everything goes smoothly, it ‘only’ takes five hours,” Detective Lee said.

Once the results are returned, they’re then handed over to the DPS Crime Lab, and it can take anywhere from 3 months to a year to get back. A trial could be another year away. It’s a frustrating system that Detective Lee deals with on a regular basis, trying to deliver some kind of justice for young victims.

The community can help. Child molestation and sexual assaults often go unreported because of the stigma and shame of the crime. It’s an ugly topic that no one wants to talk about. But stepping forward to be a voice against these crimes is exactly what’s needed to stop a growing trend of violence against the most helpless in our area.

Concerned community members can combat sexual assaults against children by learning signs of abuse and stepping up to report anything they find suspicious. The following is a list of possible signs of abuse posted on OneWithCourage.org:

1. Unexplained Injuries Visible signs of physical abuse may include unexplained burns or bruises in the shape of objects. You may also hear unconvincing explanations of a child’s injuries.
2. Changes in behavior Abuse can lead to many changes in a child’s behavior. Abused children often appear scared, anxious, depressed, withdrawn or more aggressive.
3. Returning to earlier behaviors Abused children may display behaviors shown at earlier ages, such as thumb-sucking, bed-wetting, fear of the dark or strangers. For some children, even loss of acquired language or memory problems may be an issue.
4. Fear of going home Abused children may express apprehension or anxiety about leaving school or about going places with the person who is abusing them.
5. Changes in eating The stress, fear and anxiety caused by abuse can lead to changes in a child’s eating behaviors, which may result in weight gain or loss.

6. Changes in sleeping Abused children may have frequent nightmares or have difficulty falling asleep, and as a result may appear tired or fatigued.
7. Changes in school performance and attendance Abused children may have difficulty concentrating in school or have excessive absences, sometimes due to adults trying to hide the child’s injuries from authorities.
8. Lack of personal care or hygiene Abused and neglected children may appear uncared for. They may present as consistently dirty and have severe body odor, or they may lack sufficient clothing for the weather.
9. Risk-taking behaviors Young people who are being abused may engage in high-risk activities such as using drugs or alcohol or carrying a weapon.
10. Inappropriate sexual behaviors Children who have been sexually abused may exhibit overly sexualized behavior or use explicit sexual language.

If you suspect a child you know may have been abused, you can make a report to the Department of Family and Protective Services:

Report Abuse

• By Phone: 1-800-252-5400
• Online: Texas Abuse Hotline

The community can also help by supporting the Heart of Texas Children’s Advocacy Center. The organization has an upcoming fundraiser: “Boots, Bags, and Bingo,” on Saturday, April 8th, from 1-5 p.m. at the Aldersgate Enrichment Center in Early. Tickets are $35, and the event includes refreshments, door prizes, games, and both silent and live auctions. Tickets are available for purchase online: Boots, Bags, and Bingo.

Learn more about HTCAC and their mission by visiting their Facebook Page.

Phone: 325-646-7148
Fax: 325-646-2785
Email: hotcac@centex.net