{"id":58310,"date":"2020-09-01T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/?p=58310"},"modified":"2025-02-12T11:30:40","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T16:30:40","slug":"cultivating-partnerships-to-protect-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/cultivating-partnerships-to-protect-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultivating Partnerships to Protect Children"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: right; padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><small>The U.S. Marshals Service has partnered with the Texas Department of Public Safety on the IPC program since 2014.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Local and state uniformed officers have served on the front lines of U.S. law enforcement for more than a century. Whether enforcing prohibition laws in the 1920s or reducing drunk driving and interdicting drug traffickers in the 1970s and 1980s, police have long served as the first line of defense against criminal activity.<\/p>\n<p>As a result of the success of the frontline approach, officers are still called on today to respond to significant events, whether the event is a hurricane or an active shooter. In addition, law enforcement\u2019s collective ability to respond quickly and effectively in times of crisis has proven to be a formidable force in combating crimes against children.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #0a7e8c;\"><strong>From Curiosity to Action<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In 2006, members of the Texas Highway Patrol at the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) began asking how they could improve their efforts to locate missing children during roadside traffic stops. The discussion that immediately followed brought about more questions than answers and identified a critical need that had been unrecognized, and thus unaddressed, prior to that point. Born from curiosity, the initial inquiry led to committed action, and members of the Texas Highway Patrol began to form partnerships with experts in the areas of missing, exploited, and at-risk children to determine the appropriate next steps.<\/p>\n<p>After meeting with key stakeholders for this issue, including the Texas Missing Persons Clearinghouse, a plan of action was conceived. The first step was developing a class to teach frontline officers what to look for, how to ask the right questions, and where to locate important resources to increase their abilities to recognize when children are at risk and when individuals pose a threat to a child.<\/p>\n<p>Texas DPS conducted extensive research on the effectiveness of its own processes, current practices, and existing training prior to developing the curriculum. The findings led to productive insights into which internal and external resources would be critical components of the project, as well as the most impactful ways to distribute the training.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the review uncovered a significant gap in tracking and reporting. For example, in 2008, 57,472 Texas missing child reports were entered into the National Crime Information Center. During that same year, the Texas Highway Patrol, despite conducting nearly 2.9 million traffic stops, could not account for the rescue of even one child. The Texas DPS team knew these results were inaccurate, as many had personally encountered children and were aware of colleagues who were responsible for child rescues. The reporting gap was significant, and the team realized it is not enough to merely encounter children; to be effective and make a true difference, it is critical to also account for each child. The team determined that they needed to create and implement a robust reporting and tracking mechanism before the training could proceed.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #0a7e8c;\"><strong>Curriculum Development<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The multidisciplinary team that initially worked on the curriculum development quickly recognized the need to educate officers on a variety of topics. These include understanding factors that place children at risk, the types and characteristics of individuals who harm or exploit children, specific indicators relevant to child protection, legal authorities and obligation, and available resources. These are the primary tenets for the interdiction to protect children concept, which often begins with a typical traffic stop. The approach is based on the premise that everything occurring after the initial contact depends on an officer\u2019s ability to interpret the extant indicators and then take appropriate actions. Each officer must be able to quickly and accurately recognize the circumstances that suggest a child may be at risk, because failing to intervene can lead to continued abuse and harm.<\/p>\n<p>Texas DPS knew it was crucial to define the benefits of the training and specify the outcomes by which success could be measured. Working with experts from partnering agencies, the Texas DPS team identified three outcomes that would become the foundation of the curriculum and the building blocks for what is now a comprehensive training program:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>the rescue of a child<\/li>\n<li>the initiation of a criminal investigation<\/li>\n<li>the submission of suspicious activity reports (intelligence) to fusion centers that directly or indirectly address the safety of a child<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Furthermore, the team agreed that the training practices and the curriculum must highlight proactive tactics, equipping officers with the knowledge and skills to prevent the exploitation, abuse, and neglect of a child, which the team recognized to be as important as rescuing children who are suffering from active victimization.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_58316\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-58316\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-58316\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0003-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0003-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0003-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0003-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0003-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0003-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0003-1-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-58316\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The development and implementation of IPC was a collaborative effort across multiple organizations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #0a7e8c;\"><strong>The Interdiction for the Protection of Children Program<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As the curriculum, training, and tracking began to come together, so did the program, and it eventually was formally named the Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC) program. The challenging goal of prevention also became a staple in the IPC motto\u2014Prevent, Protect, Rescue\u2014and it remains a driving principle in the work Texas DPS does today.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe development of the IPC program has given DPS additional tools to proactively work to prevent and detect crimes against children by providing this essential training to our Troopers and fellow officers,\u201d said Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw.<sup>1<\/sup><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>I am proud of the tireless work and dedication of the men and women at DPS who developed such a critical program. Human trafficking and other crimes that target innocent children are reprehensible, and through the IPC program, we will continue to aggressively target these vile and cowardly criminals.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Within IPC, prevention efforts are geared toward intervening directly with children as well as identifying potential threats. The former task relies on the effective utilization of a child-centered approach. Officers are taught to build rapport with children they come into contact with while simultaneously looking for indicators of risk. This model allows action to be taken before absolute evidence of exploitation has been obtained. The second variable required the creation of a category identified as \u201chigh-risk threats to children.\u201d High-risk threats to children include adults who demonstrate articulable factors that evidence-based research and experience have shown are correlated with the abuse, neglect, endangerment, or exploitation of children. Simply put, a high-risk threat is someone who presents a risk to children.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #f5a81c;\">Collaborating to Protect Children<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>As the development of IPC continued, the Texas DPS team shifted their focus to organizing the data and resources officers need to effectively respond to intervention opportunities. This crucial element of the training emerged from collaboration with the Victim and Employee Support Services (VESS) division at Texas DPS. Experienced counselors designed the portions of the curriculum that teach officers how to interact with children, as well as the essential elements of a trauma-informed response. Their contributions have proven so effective that the core instruction cadre for all IPC training must include a victim services provider or behavioral health professional.<\/p>\n<p>As a result of the contributions of and input from the victim service counselors, Texas DPS invited the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services-Child Protective Services (DFPS-CPS) to attend and present during the initial training courses. Texas DFPS-CPS has since become a fundamental component of the IPC training. Including a child protective services agency provides a networking opportunity between two disciplines that must ultimately work together to successfully remove children from harmful environments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are honored to be at the table with our DPS partners as we carry out our mission to protect, using every means possible, the children of Texas,\u201d said Texas DFPS Commissioner Jaime Masters.<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Training every officer in the IPC program, utilizing the fusion centers, understanding that many abused and neglected children are transported by their abusers\u2014all of this knowledge will help us save our kids, who are, after all, this state\u2019s future. Without them we have no future.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #f5a81c;\">Leveraging Fusion Centers<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Since the primary goal of the IPC program is to prevent acts of abuse and exploitation against children, fusion centers play a pivotal role. The analytical personnel at the fusion centers are able to go well beyond individual IPC encounters by collecting, analyzing, and sharing information about suspicious activity that potentially falls into the high-risk threats to children category.<\/p>\n<p>For example, suspects and victims frequently travel, and the transient nature of certain forms of child exploitation presents a challenge for law enforcement. Since their mobility increases exposure to others, first responders must know and understand the behaviors and threats associated with high-risk situations. Given the many circumstances in which high-risk threats to children may be encountered, fusion centers offer a unified place for members of the community and public servants to report their observations. Once a report is received, fusion centers can share any relevant information with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners and other appropriate resources such as child protective services. The ability to share information allows agencies to proactively identify relevant intelligence, generate new leads, and alert others of possible threats.<\/p>\n<p>Through the use of fusion centers, everyone can be proactive in the effort to protect children. Individuals do not have to witness an apparent violation of the law, and an at-risk child does not have to be present to report suspicious behavior. While a call for immediate police action may be unwarranted in many instances, the information reported still will be analyzed, monitored, developed, and investigated. There is no such thing as an \u201coverreaction\u201d when it comes to the safety of a child. The slightest concern or suspicious observation should be shared. Fusion centers help facilitate the exchange of information and are able to provide options for encounters that do not involve rescues or arrests, but still might present a risk to children.<\/p>\n<p>After two years of working diligently to piece together key components and create a robust curriculum and training practices, the first IPC course was taught in 2009. For this first class, attendees traveled from across Texas to not only learn about IPC but also help evaluate the curriculum and instruction method. The audience was composed of investigators, patrol officers, prosecutors, victim service counselors, child protective services professionals, and criminal intelligence analysts. Also present were federal agents and members from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. After the training evaluations were reviewed, the IPC course was finalized. Later that year, Texas Highway Patrol troopers began receiving the IPC training, and within months, successful child rescues were being reported.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #0a7e8c;\"><strong>Expanding IPC<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In 2012, Texas DPS began receiving requests from agencies across the United States to teach IPC classes to their officers and employees. While the resources and policies within each jurisdiction differ, the fundamental dynamics underlying child exploitation are consistent, and the multidisciplinary training format adopted for each IPC course remains the same. The foundation of IPC training includes instruction by experts in law enforcement, victim services, crime analysis, child protective services, and a local children\u2019s advocate.<\/p>\n<p>Although IPC\u2019s core concepts are universal, the team recognized that being flexible to the particular needs of each state and jurisdiction can add additional value and facilitates subsequent implementation of the program. Such modifications called for extensive coordination to translate and interpret the differences. The IPC development team therefore established a process to liaise with the instructors and resources in other states. Through these collaborations, Texas DPS IPC instructors continue to help local and state authorities formulate their own multidisciplinary teams and prepare for the training. A coordinated effort to establish a local IPC training team necessitates learning about each state\u2019s laws, organizations, and agencies to better understand what investigative resources may be used by officers and what social service provisions are available to victims.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_58317\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-58317\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-58317\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0007-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0007-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0007-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0007-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0007-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0007-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0007-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-58317\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Through IPC, frontline personnel are trained to watch for signs of children at risk or in danger during traffic stops.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The success of the IPC training led to the demand for more classes and the need to design an IPC train-the-trainer class. After establishing requirements needed to become an IPC instructor, Texas DPS began offering the opportunity to others free of charge. The course maintains the original professional standard, quality, and values of the program, while making the training more accessible to others. While IPC train-the-trainer classes continue to provide the lessons to enhance officers\u2019 abilities and responses, it also helps jurisdictions establish a multidisciplinary training team using local and pre-existing resources. It is noteworthy that, other than the cost of training, the IPC approach and program has no fiscal impact. Furthermore, the application and lessons learned can be implemented and used immediately within any size agency, from the largest departments with thousands of officers to the more common jurisdictions with only a few sworn personnel.<\/p>\n<p>The expense of law enforcement training affects all agencies, and limited funds often force officers to choose between mandated training and continuing education. Knowing that a fee for training will impede some from attending, thus potentially resulting in an at-risk child going unnoticed, Texas DPS designed the IPC program to function with minimal dependency on funding. To compensate for training expenses, Texas DPS applied for a U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) grant in 2014. The original grant for approximately $95,000 sustained IPC training for five years, allowing the program to train 1,424 professionals in 18 states. Other grants obtained by Texas DPS through the COPS Office continue to support the education of officers, first responders, and child protection professionals.<\/p>\n<p>In 2014, the U.S. Marshals Service\u2019s Behavioral Analysis Unit (USMS BAU) offered its services to support IPC\u2019s continued development and instruction. USMS BAU personnel recognized an opportunity to learn from the officers who initiate IPC cases, make rescues, and identify high-risk threats to children. The team at USMS BAU also felt significant intelligence could be obtained from medical personnel who treat abused children, social workers who work with at-risk youth on the streets, child protective services personnel, and the survivors of trafficking and abuse. USMS BAU researchers began conducting interviews with survivors and professionals from relevant disciplines to identify valid indicators of risk. They then began analyzing the data collected through these interviews to disseminate as intelligence and to update the IPC curriculum. As of this writing, USMS BAU has conducted 771 IPC-related interviews. In 2017, the USMS BAU and Texas DPS jointly authored a paper in a peer-reviewed professional journal, Aggression and Violent Behavior, to formally introduce the research.<sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>As a result of USMS BAU\u2019s involvement in IPC and their partnership with Texas DPS, the USMS quickly recognized the benefits the training would have for its investigators, who also encounter children and suspects through the course of their law enforcement duties. As a result, USMS BAU personnel became certified through the IPC train-the-trainer courses and have begun training deputy U.S. marshals throughout the United States. USMS instructors also assist Texas DPS with training police officers worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur collaboration with Texas DPS is a privilege, and the IPC program is our top analytical priority,\u201d said Dr. Michael Bourke, the psychologist who heads USMS BAU. \u201cWe share the commitment of our Texas partners to make a profound difference in the lives of children who would otherwise remain trapped in the scourge of sexual exploitation.\u201d<sup>4<\/sup><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #0a7e8c;\"><strong>Outcomes and <span style=\"color: #0a7e8c;\">Successes<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As of May 2020, Texas DPS can account for 488 child rescues as a result of the IPC program. But, just as the heinous crimes and atrocities committed against children are not limited by borders and jurisdictions, nor are the successes. Agencies from numerous states, including Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Utah, and Georgia, along with international partners in England, Canada, and Australia, attribute numerous child rescues and investigations to the IPC program, and law enforcement\u2019s combined efforts continue to grow.<\/p>\n<p>As more local, state, federal, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies receive IPC training, interventions to protect children will increase and more children will be protected. The IPC training has documented results demonstrating frontline officers\u2019 abilities to identify technology-facilitated crimes against children, missing children, victims of sexual assault, human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, high-risk threats against children, and noncompliant sex offenders. The effects go beyond rescues, arrests, and investigations, and the IPC concept has protected children beyond the lessons taught in the classroom. It has influenced department policy, state and federal legislation, and information collection and sharing processes, as well as other training, research, and enforcement strategies.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #0a7e8c;\">Texas DPS is committed to sharing the most valuable lesson&#8230; that officers and other responders must stop waiting for children to ask for help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>What started as a training class to help highway patrol troopers in one state find missing children has evolved into a more inclusive understanding of victimization and a more holistic approach to protecting youth. The lessons shared through IPC have proven beneficial to a growing number of those who encounter children and the perpetrators who pose a high-risk threat to children. The approaches and concepts are embraced by many disciplines, agencies, and organizations across a diverse cultural, geographical, and socioeconomic landscape to include Texas game wardens, the National Park Service, Smithsonian police officers, and the National Children\u2019s Advocacy Center (NCAC) professionals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe National Children\u2019s Advocacy Center was founded on the concept that no one agency can completely and successfully respond to child abuse and exploitation,\u201d said Chris Newlin, the NCAC executive director.<sup>5<\/sup><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>It is through a multidisciplinary approach that we can protect children, and the IPC is an outstanding example of expanding our nation\u2019s comprehensive response to child exploitation and how everyone can and should play a role in protecting children. We are proud to serve as supporters and trainers for this program in Alabama and nationally.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>As a result of the growing acknowledgment of the program\u2019s applicability and efficacy, IPC is referenced in the President\u2019s Interagency Task Force \u2013 Reports on U.S. Government Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons and was presented as a comprehensive strategy recommendation in the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking.<sup>6<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Since the first class in 2009, IPC has been presented in 27 states and four countries across three continents. More than 10,000 individuals, including law enforcement officers, criminal intelligence analysts, social workers, victim advocates, victim service professionals, prosecutors, and professionals in government and nongovernment organizations, have attended the training.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, many agencies have established and are maintaining their own IPC programs. IPC has helped organize 20 multidisciplinary training teams for local, state, and international jurisdictions. As more agencies request help, they typically ask what is needed to simulate the IPC program. The response varies with each request, but there are two common factors responsible for the success of the program: the people and their shared commitment to protecting youth. The IPC program has remained relevant and effective as a result of the partnerships that continue to form and the advocates who work together to make a difference.<\/p>\n<p>Any comprehensive and effective effort to protect children inevitably extends beyond the resources of any one agency and approach. IPC is not the single and final solution; rather, it is an essential part of the unified effort. Texas DPS recognizes the significant contributions made by many nongovernment organizations, as well as local, state, and federal agencies. The steadfast involvement and support of partners like the COPS Office, the USMS, and the Texas DFP-CPS have been instrumental in the program\u2019s success.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #0a7e8c;\"><strong>Conclusion: No Longer Waiting<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<aside class=\"pullout alignleft\">IACP Resources<\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square;\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/using-technology-to-de-escalate-and-reduce-use-of-force\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Child Sex Trafficking: A Training Series for Frontline Officers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theiacp.org\/resources\/document\/the-crime-of-human-trafficking-a-law-enforcement-guide-to-identification-and\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"broken_link\">The Crime of Human Trafficking: A Law Enforcement Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theiacp.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">theIACP.org<\/a><\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square;\">\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/new-officer-training-saving-the-lives-of-children\/\">New Officer Training Saving the Lives of Children<\/a>\u201d (article)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/aside>\n<p>Over the years, the IPC training has been modified, the curriculum has evolved, and instructors have changed. But one lesson remains as the original cornerstone of the program. Extant statistical evidence shows a significant number of children are abused, neglected, sexually assaulted, trafficked, and exploited every day. Many victims never disclose their experience or even realize they are victims. Despite repeated efforts by the most experienced professionals to gain their trust, countless variables may prevent children from sharing what they have gone through. This fact counteracts the pervasive but erroneous assumption that if an officer is present, victimized children will almost certainly cry out for help. The flawed belief that \u201cbeing present is enough\u201d has led to an immeasurable amount of missed opportunities. Thus, it is paramount that law enforcement and other stakeholders no longer wait for children to make an outcry; waiting on the child unfairly places the burden on the victim. Through IPC, Texas DPS is committed to sharing the most valuable lesson and reinforcing that lesson in all IPC training\u2014that officers and other responders must stop waiting for children to ask for help.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"pullout pullout--wide alignleft\">If you are interested in joining the effort to protect children through the IPC program and training opportunities, please contact the Texas DPS IPC team at <a href=\"mailto:IPC@dps.texas.gov\">IPC@dps.texas.gov<\/a>.<\/aside>\n<p><strong>Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><sup>1<\/sup> Steven McCraw (director, Texas Department of Public Safety), email, July 30, 2020.<\/p>\n<p><sup>2<\/sup> Jaime Masters (commissioner, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services), email, June 4, 2020.<\/p>\n<p><sup>3<\/sup> Michael L. Bourke, Derek Prestridge, and Melanie B. Malterer, \u201cInterdiction for the Protection of Children: Preventing Sexual Exploitation One Traffic Stop at a Time,\u201d <em>Aggression and Violent Behavior<\/em> 30 (September\u2013October 2016): 68\u201375.<\/p>\n<p><sup>4<\/sup> Michael L. Burke (psychologist, U.S. Marshals Service, Behavioral Analysis Unit), email, July 30, 2020.<\/p>\n<p><sup>5<\/sup> Chris Newlin (executive director, National Children\u2019s Advocacy Center), email, June 2, 2020.<\/p>\n<p><sup>6<\/sup> <em>President\u2019s Interagency Task Force \u2013 Reports on U.S. Government Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Local and state uniformed officers have served on the front lines of U.S. law enforcement for more than a century. Whether enforcing prohibition laws in the 1920s or reducing drunk driving and interdicting drug traffickers in the 1970s and 1980s, police have long served as the first line of defense against criminal activity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":58313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[128,148,150],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-violence","category-traffic-safety","category-youth"],"acf":{"subtitle":"The Texas Department of Public Safety\u2019s Continued Effort for the Interdiction to Protect Children","post_author":"Derek Prestridge, Captain, Training and Operations, Division Texas Department of Public Safety; Melissa Atwood, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Victim & Employee Support Services, Texas Department of Public Safety; Michael Bourke, PhD, Chief Psychologist, U.S. Marshals Service; and Lexi Quinney, Senior Manager, Texas Suspicious Activity Reporting Network","main_category":"Youth","legacy_article_id":"","legacy_issue_id":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.4 (Yoast SEO v24.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cultivating Partnerships to Protect Children - Police Chief Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/cultivating-partnerships-to-protect-children\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cultivating Partnerships to Protect Children\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Local and state uniformed officers have served on the front lines of U.S. law enforcement for more than a century. Whether enforcing prohibition laws in the 1920s or reducing drunk driving and interdicting drug traffickers in the 1970s and 1980s, police have long served as the first line of defense against criminal activity.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/cultivating-partnerships-to-protect-children\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Police Chief Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheIACP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-01T12:00:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-12T16:30:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0009-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Margaret White\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TheIACP\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TheIACP\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Margaret White\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"18 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/cultivating-partnerships-to-protect-children\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/cultivating-partnerships-to-protect-children\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Margaret White\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/#\/schema\/person\/51da39bf2b152cf9aff96cdeed62d5a4\"},\"headline\":\"Cultivating Partnerships to Protect Children\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-01T12:00:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-12T16:30:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/cultivating-partnerships-to-protect-children\/\"},\"wordCount\":3569,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/cultivating-partnerships-to-protect-children\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0009-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Crime &amp; 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