Police form abuse team

Two Spokane police detectives have been assigned to focus exclusively on physical child abuse cases, effective immediately, police officials announced Wednesday.

The decision comes after the abuse death of 4-year-old Summer Phelps last month and at a time when the number of physical abuse cases being reported to Spokane police has increased dramatically. Last month, 49 cases of physical abuse of children were reported to Spokane police, compared with 16 cases in March 2006.

Until Wednesday, the physical abuse cases were given to any general detective who was available. One day a detective might be working a fraud investigation, the next day it could be a child beaten by a parent.

Sgt. Frank Scalise, who joined the detectives unit in January, decided that wasn’t the most efficient or effective way to investigate child abuse.

“These aren’t traffic tickets; this is important,” Scalise said. “These are our children. We need to properly investigate these cases.”

Scalise said he drafted a proposal about three weeks ago to reorganize the general detectives unit, including devoting two of its members – Ben Estes and Sheri Wilson – to focus on physical abuse cases.

“With the problems that we face, and the manpower we are allotted, we had to find ways to be the most effective,” Scalise said.

Apparently, those in charge agreed with Scalise’s observations and quickly approved the change.

Maj. Bruce Roberts, who oversees the Police Department’s investigative section, said, “We hope and believe it will create a better level of expertise in that area.”

While Summer Phelps’ death wasn’t the impetus for Scalise’s proposal, he said, her name came up in discussions about creating the specialized positions.

“The goal is to make sure no child falls between the cracks,” Scalise said. “That’s my worst nightmare.”

The two detectives will receive additional training for their new positions.

For example, in order to testify in court as to what a child said, instead of the child testifying himself or herself, a detective must be certified by the state as a forensic interviewer, Scalise said.

Both detectives have already been trained in techniques for interviewing children, he added.

The role of the child abuse investigators won’t be only reactive, Scalise said. Two detectives were assigned to the new unit so at least one would be available to work with Child Protective Services, schools, and other agencies that might become involved with children, he said.

The change will enable the specialized detectives to have a better understanding of physical child abuse and build connections with others who work with children, Scalise said.

“For instance, if a CPS caseworker is confronted with a case where they know a detective should be there, they will know who to call and can count on a detective to be there,” Scalise said.

The changes in the detectives unit were not as a result of any new hires, said Spokane police spokesman Cpl. Tom Lee. “In making this change, if just one kid doesn’t get abused because it’s caught in time, then this was completely worth it,” Scalise said.