To Combat Child Abuse: B’klyn DA: Involve Cops in All Cases

To Combat Child Abuse:

B'klyn DA: Involve Cops in All Cases

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes last week suggested that the NYPD's role in combating and preventing child abuse be sharply expanded in light of the death of 7-year-old Nixzmary Brown.

CHARLES J. HYNES: Get NYPD more involved. Administration for Children's Services Caseworker Joycelin St. Hill did not enter Nixzmary's home on Dec. 8 to investigate an abuse complaint because the girl's stepfather, Cesar Rodriguez, said he was on his way out.

A Different Reaction?

"Can you imagine how cops would have reacted to that?" Mr. Hynes asked Jan. 17, a day before Nixzmary's funeral.

Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly declined to comment on Mr. Hynes's suggestion until a complete investigation into the girl's death is completed. But several high-ranking NYPD officials, who all spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the police may soon be simultaneously contacted on all child-abuse complaints.

ACS Commissioner John B. Mattingly, at a press conference the day after Mr. Hynes made his comments, said his agency would make greater use of the Instant Response Teams of cops and Caseworkers that are deployed in high-risk abuse situations.

MICHAEL J. PALLADINO: Must be more assertive. Currently, the thousands of abuse calls logged each year are directed to the Child Registry system and are dealt with by ACS staffers, who have the option of reaching out to the NYPD for help.

'Should've Called Cops'

During his Jan. 18 press conference, Mr. Mattingly announced plans for sweeping changes. He said that the agency's primary failing in preventing Nixzmary's murder was that "We did not see to it that we got into that home." He suspended three workers and disciplined and transferred three others involved in Nixzmary's case.

"They should have sought a warrant and came in with the police," said a high-ranking police source. "They didn't call us."

The police were contacted a week before the Dec. 8 visit by an unidentified Caseworker, who interviewed the girl and her three siblings at school after an abuse complaint was filed because Nixzmary had a black eye and a gash above it. "There was some concern the father would interfere with the interview process," said Paul J. Browne, the NYPD's chief spokesman.

Nixzmary's stepfather, however, was cooperative and even apparently submitted medical documents to ex plain why she had missed 47 days of school during the previous term. The Detective, who personally knew the Caseworker, ran a background check on the family's residence, which showed that there had not been any domestic violence disturbances at that address.

But investigators have since alleged that Mr. Rodriguez routinely beat and starved Nixzmary in their Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment. Mr. Rodriguez and his wife, Nixzaliz Santiago, were charged last week with second-degree murder.

Ignored Her Cries

Prosecutors said that Ms. Santiago ignored her daughter's pleas for help after she was savagely beaten and locked in the bathroom. Michael J. Palladino, the president of the Detectives' Endowment Association, said that it was common for one parent to try to protect the other in such cases.

"I have handled my share of domestic violence cases," he remarked. "In most of the cases where the children are injured or abused, it is because the mother has taken the step of protecting the father instead of the children. That is the common denominator all the time."

He suggested that ACS administrators pair new Caseworkers with veteran staffers, just as the NYPD does with its rookie Detectives. "Just because they give you the gold shield doesn't mean you are a great investigator," he said. "Obviously something has to be taken a look at."

Assertiveness Training?

Mr. Palladino also recommended that ACS Caseworkers receive additional instruction on how to be more assertive and to help them better assesses potentially dangerous family situations. "Maybe they should receive some of the same training that our Detectives receive," he commented.

Mr. Browne, however, said he wasn't sure if that was something that lends itself to training. He noted that NYPD Detectives have years of experience dealing with difficult situations. "They have been telling people on a day-to-day basis to do things they don't want to do, like move your car," he said.