Joining forces to fight child abuse - Monitor

Last week, the Child Advocacy Center, or Estrella’s House, in Edinburg presented 12 awards to agencies and individuals fighting child abuse across the Rio Grande Valley. Whitlock was honored with prosecutor of the year while the Starr County District Attorney’s Office, where he has worked since August, was named agency of the year. “This award is a huge honor, but it is only possible because of the excellent team of support staff, investigators, prosecutors we have assembled in my office,” District Attorney Omar Escobar Jr. said after receiving the award. The award ceremony on May 27 also kicked off the first ever Joining Forces, Responding to Child Abuse Conference in the Valley. More than 150 participants from local police departments and agencies working to fight child abuse came together to share their experiences and learn about the latest trends and resources surrounding these cases. The two-day conference had experts discussing trends in child abuse and addressing issues dealing with child sex trafficking, investigating child abuse cases, and preparing for court testimony, Gomez said. The information was especially vital to officials in Starr County, where there’s an increase in child abuse cases, according to David Kifuri Jr. , spokesman for the DA’s office, which saw 31 cases in 2014 compared to an average of 15 to 20 cases... Source: www.themonitor.com