Battling child abuse: New DA's office program to help victims

A comfy leather couch and matching chair sit under the innocuous gaze of a ceiling-mounted camera. In a nearby room, law enforcement officers watch on a high-definition screen as a child talks about the abuse she’s been through. This may sound sordid, but it’s actually the latest in hi-tech victim protection services offered by the Kings County District Attorney’s Office.

The idea is to create a child-friendly environment where juvenile victims of abuse can be interviewed by a forensic investigator without being traumatized.

“When you have a case like this, many people need to interview the victim,” Chief DA Investigator Rick Bellar said. “You’ve got the first responding officer, the detective, Child Protective Services, the District Attorney’s Office, everyone. This consolidates all that into a single interview which is much less traumatic for the child.”

It’s called the MDIC, or the Multi-Disciplinary Interview Center. Located inside the District Attorney’s Office at the Kings County Government Center, this new three-room facility has been in planning stages for several years now.

“This is just an awesome thing that was way overdue,” said Margie Wilhelm, coordinator for the Victim Witness Assistance program. “It’s a win-win situation for the victims. Now they will have somewhere private and friendly they can go to while moving through this process.”

The DA’s office held an informal open house to showcase the new center on Tuesday morning.

It occupies just three rooms in what was formerly the Minors Advocate Office. One room, DA Investigator Nicky Lucero said, is used for the interrogation, while another down the hall is where involved parties can watch the proceedings through a high-definition screen.

Adjustable microphones and cameras concealed in the room allow the spectators to remain an active part of the interrogation, relaying questions to the interrogator with a two-way headset.

Bellar said that the rooms were converted to MDIC use within 31 days and did not require any money out of the general fund to set up.

“A child’s testimony in these types of cases can be critical,” Bellar said. “These cases usually have limited physical evidence. Many times the disclosure of the crime is made well after any potential evidence is gone. The statement of the child involved will often determine if there is even a viable case.”

The center will be primarily used for child abuse cases, but Bellar said the interview room can be used for almost any other type of interview or interrogation.

Investigators began using the MDIC immediately after the open house ended on Tuesday afternoon.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(July 1, 2009)