Media Contact: Emily Perry
Susie’s Place, a child advocacy center, ensures that children are not further victimized by the interventions intended to protect them. Serving over 420 children at their Bloomington center in 2013, Susie’s Place provides a child-friendly, neutral center for the investigation of allegations of crimes against children.
Patrol officers and Indiana State Police Troopers are often first on the scene to potential child abuse or neglect situations. Susie’s Place received a $5000 grant to train law enforcement officers responding to reports involving alleged child victims. “Cases involving children are extremely challenging. Indiana State Police detectives and troopers truly appreciate the opportunity to train with Susie’s Place staff,” said ISP Detective Sergeant Paul Suding.
Officers and troopers from Monroe and surrounding counties are attending training at the Public Safety Training Center in Bloomington. These trainings are being conducted by Lisa Mallory, a Forensic Interviewer at Susie’s Place with over 20 years of experience in the field of child abuse and trauma.
This invaluable training is developed to equip officers with the knowledge and skills necessary to respond effectively and limit trauma to children. Our hope is to empower first responders to work with families and children in these difficult cases where child safety is of the utmost importance.
Trainings began February 4th and have received immense support from the Bloomington Police Department, The Indiana State Police and the Monroe County Prosecutor. “Since opening Susie’s Place in 2011, training together has been crucial to getting our team members on the same page,” said Prosecutor Chris Gaal. “This training is an important next step to continue improving our response to incidents of child abuse in our community.”
Providing a total of 10 first responder trainings in Monroe County, Susie’s Place hopes to educate over 60 patrol officers and troopers during this initiative.