Official Web Site of the City of Phoenix

How to make a report and what happens

You can call 911 or crimestop at (602) 262-6151

When you make a report of physical or sexual abuse a Detective is assigned to your case. The Detective will call you and set up an appointment to interviewyou and your child The child and you can talk to a therapist as well. The Detective then begins the investigation and will keep in contact with you as the case moves forward.

Childhelp® launches nationwide alert system to protect kids

Childhelp announced today at the National Day of Hope?PHOENIX (April 18, 2007) legislative luncheon in Washington, D.C. the launch of its newest service, Childhelp Alert. Childhelp Alert™ is a nationwide alert system that calls subscribers on the phone to notify them of a registered sex offender locating to the area. Childhelp®, a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to meeting the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs of abused and neglected children, started the national alert system to give parents an active way of being informed and keeping their kids safe.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and abuse against children is reaching epidemic proportions in the United States. Four children die each day from abuse in the the equivalent of a 727 filled with children crashing each month,?United States or a school bus full of children crashing every 18 days.

Phoenix Police and Childhelp

The Crimes Against Children Detail is located at the Childhelp Center, 2346 North Central Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85004 , (602) 534-3200. The center has 32 Detectives who investigate sexual and physical abuse against children. The children's center works together at one Childhelp facility, a coalition of law enforcement, prosecution, social services agencies, medical professional, and crisis counselors focus upon an array of children's issues related to abuse.

Crimes Against Children Detail responsibilities

Detectives investigate child molestation, sexual abuse of a minor, sexual assault of a minor, sexually motivated kidnapping, furnishing obscene material to a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, all forms of child abuse to include shaken baby syndrome and child neglect. There are Detectives who have special training to conduct meth lab investigations when children are found in a meth lab. Also in the detail some Detectives have special training in removing and searching computer evidence often times found in child pornography cases.

Detectives and the spanish community

There are 2 certified spanish speaking Detectives on each squad for a total of 6. Also the center has a spanish speaking forensic interviewer to help Detectives. Therapists are also bilinguel and can help in spanish speaking cases.
Shaken baby syndrome

The manual shaking of an infant in a whiplashing motion, usually while the child is being held by the shoulders or torso. Due to an infant's immature brain and weak neck muscles, this action causes the brain to slam against the skull. Possible results may include death, brain damage, paralysis, seizures, blindness, deafness, mental retardation, ADD, motor dysfunction, learning and developmental disabilities. There are often no external physical signs of trauma (bruises, skull fractures, swelling). Symptoms may resemble the flu.

What kind of training do Detectives have?

Detectives attend a number of training courses on child sexual and physical abuse. Courses are taught in San Diego, Chicago, and right here in Phoenix. Detectives attend classes that Childhelp sponsers on medical evidence and other topics. Some Detectives get over 120 hours of ongoing training in Crimes Against Children a year.