Heed Red Flags and Help Stop Child Abuse

Picture in your mind 50 children.

Now picture them dead.

A gruesome image by any measure, but in fact that is roughly the number of youngsters who are abused to death each year in Los Angeles County.

“That’s way too many,” said Det. Dan Scott, an investigator assigned to the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Child Abuse Detail.

“These are children who are beaten to death and in most of these cases there has been an ongoing history of abuse.”

Last year alone, Scott’s unit, which consists of 35 detectives, investigated 3,255 child abuse cases. Of those, 1,359 were cases of physical abuse and 1,896 were cases of sexual abuse.

The Lancaster station--which serves Lancaster, Palmdale and the surrounding areas of the Antelope Valley--generated the most investigations of any sheriff’s station: 630 cases, nearly 20% of the county total.

“It is by far our busiest station,” Scott said.

In line with April being “Child Abuse Prevention Month,” Scott gave advice on how to get involved and stop the abuse.

For starters, he said, don’t ignore telltale signs such as a child with a black eye, with bruises on his or her body or with bruises in different stages of healing.

Constant yelling and shouting by an adult, followed by a child’s scream could also be a sign of trouble next door, he said.

“When you see a pattern, then the red flags should be flying,” Scott said.

“And the younger the child, the more important it is to stick your nose in it and get involved. Most child homicides involve younger children, such as toddlers and babies.”

Concerned citizens can call local law enforcement officials and ask them to assess the situation. Also anonymous tips can be left on the Los Angeles County Child Abuse Hotline at (800) 540-4000.

But that doesn’t mean the everyday spanking for an unruly child warrants calling the cops, Scott said.

“There’s a difference between discipline and abuse,” he said.

“To discipline is to modify a child’s behavior. Abuse is when you’ve lost control.”

Scott said that complicating most child abuse cases is that the victim often knows the suspect.

“In these kinds of cases you’re dealing with a lot of emotions,” said Scott, who has spent the past decade investigating crimes against kids.

“If there’s a stranger molestation the support is right there. But when it’s a brother, an uncle or a grandfather it’s a lot different. It’s the old taboo that it’s a dirty family secret they don’t want out.”

In 80% of sexual abuse cases the victim knows his or her attacker, Scott said. If a mother suspects her child is being sexually abused she should take the time to sit down and talk to her children.

“As a society we need to listen to children,” Scott said.

“In sexual abuse cases you don’t normally have children making this up, particularly when you have children talking about sexual acts they shouldn’t have a clue about.”

Scott stressed the importance of intervening and contacting the authorities because “just telling someone to stop isn’t going to cut it.”

Children who grow up in abusive homes may end up doing poorly in school, become promiscuous or become abusers themselves, Scott said.