On Friday, April 2, Mayor Ken Tedford, Commission Chairman Pete Olsen and other dedicated community leaders and members gathered at Millennium Park for the joint proclamation between the County of Churchill and the City of Fallon, declaring this month as Child Abuse Awareness month for Fallon. The proclamation was presented to Brooke Shyne, project director for Fallon's Pinwheel program and a member of Churchill County's Social Services department.
Sheriff Richard Hickox addressed the gathering to share his thoughts on this topic and stress the importance of speaking up, as that one action could start an investigation that saves a child. He told the group, “It is my distinct honor to lead the men and women of the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office as we stand shoulder to shoulder with so many other agencies working to bring awareness to a devastating crime but more importantly to a person. That person is the victim, the child that has had their world broken and trust destroyed.” The battle against child abuse is and must be an entire community effort. The effort starts with the person who has the courage to speak up when they see or suspect something is wrong. Be that person who notices the bruises or the scared look in the child's eyes and has the courage to call in. “Then it is up to our law enforcement officials, prosecutors, Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) and other agencies to put every effort into investigating to get the child the help they need, and to get their abuser to answer for their abusive actions.”
The Churchill County Sheriff’s Office works with the local DCFS, District Attorneys and other area agencies as well as with the Washoe County Crimes against Children Center and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) whose sole purpose is to identify abusers and help children out of abusive situations.
Shannon Ernst, director of Social Services, said the focus of the annual Pinwheels program is to build awareness of child abuse and prevention and thanked the community for their support. “During 2020, there were 332 reported child abuse cases in Churchill County. That is down from just under 500 in 2019, “ said Ernst. “However, going into 2021 we are seeing even more cases'”
Sue Sevon, Court administrator for the Tenth Judicial District Court provided statistics from the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. She told the group that, at present, 11 child abuse cases are assigned to the program. CASA is comprised of nine Special Advocate volunteers currently serving 19 children. Sevon said, “Within the past year, CASA volunteers have assisted stakeholders in achieving permanency outcomes for 20 children. Of those, 13 children were reunified with their parent(s), 2 children were adopted, 2 children were placed under a guardianship with family members, and 3 children who turned 18, two of which elected to undergo Court Jurisdiction.” She also told the group that in 2017, CASA began using a case management system called Optima and since then it has handled 55 cases serving 88 children. The need is obvious, and these groups have the services and abilities to help. So, reach out and be brave on behalf of an abused or neglected child.
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