Reports of child abuse triple

After they learned of the little girl’s brutal death, neighbors of 4-year-old Summer Phelps regretted not calling authorities.

Many Spokane residents seem determined not to make the same mistake.

Spokane police have been flooded with new reports of suspected physical abuse against children since Summer died March 10.

The number of cases tripled in March, compared with the same month a year ago, said Spokane police Lt. Rex Olson. That doesn’t mean more children are being abused, authorities said, just that more suspected cases are being reported.

“When child abuse is brought to the forefront, we see a spike,” Olson said.

In March 2006, there were 16 cases of physical abuse against children reported to Spokane police, Olson said. Last month, there were 49.

“An increase in reports is a good sign,” said Mary Ann Murphy, executive director of Partners with Families and Children: Spokane. “I think there is less tolerance for physical abuse of children. People recognize abuse is simply not discipline gone too far.”

Summer’s father, Jonathan D. Lytle, 28, and her stepmother, Adriana Lytle, 32, remain in jail on homicide-by-abuse charges.

Even though the influx of new reports has taken detectives away from other investigations – primarily property crimes – officials are glad residents are paying closer attention and taking action, Olson said.

“Child abuse is a top priority here. We want any information we can get. We’d rather go out and determine there’s nothing there than find out later, after a child has died,” Olson said.

Spokane police Sgt. Brad Arleth receives all child abuse reports, including sexual abuse, and gives them to the appropriate investigative units to follow. The reports come from multiple sources including Child Protective Services, people who phone in, citizens who come to the front desk, and teachers and counselors, he said.

“No matter what we are working on (when reports come in)… we are sending those cases out to detectives for investigation,” Arleth said. “Cases involving children are mandatory investigations. Even if everyone has a full caseload, it doesn’t matter.”

Arleth’s team investigates sex crimes, including child sex abuse. Olson assigns child abuse cases where there’s been physical maltreatment or neglect.

While reports of physical abuse increased, reports of sex abuse did not jump in March, Arleth said.

About 90 percent of the child abuse reports are assigned to detectives for investigation, but people do need to use good judgment before calling police, officials said. A child with a skinned knee may not be cause for alarm.

“However, if a person has any doubts,” Olson said, “we want them to call.”

If a person sees an adult hitting or slapping a child, call 911.

“We want people to be aware all the time,” Olson said. “It’s got to be the whole community that’s aware in order to eliminate these cases as much as possible.”