Task Force Created To Prevent Child Homicide
El Paso County officials have created a community task force to address the alarming number of child fatalities last year. In 2011, ten children were killed as a result of abuse or neglect in El Paso County. Six of those children were under 1 years old.
El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark and 4th Judicial District Attorney Dan May announced the task force Tuesday and say they hope the group can help save lives.
The group will include more than 70 representatives from law enforcement, military installations, the Department of Human Services, hospitals and community groups like Pikes Peak United Way, CASA, TESSA, and Safe Passage.
Within the group there are six smaller task groups that will concentrate on different ways to help parents with young children:
Hotline: looking how one call number and online resources can assist parents in crisis Mentors: researching how best to connect new parents with mentors and support systems Communications: creating the messaging to reach out to the community Data: analyzing the data about child fatalities over the last five years First Responders: creating more avenues for first responders to reach out to parents Medical Community: researching best ways to reach out to parents in the hospital as well as before and after birth
The next meeting will be held on Friday, March 9th at 8:30-11:00 a.m. at the El Paso County Citizens Service Center.
