![\"Our](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/1460653346_Bronx-Child-Advocacy-Center-CAC-1.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Bronx Child Advocacy Center opened in February 2015<\/em><\/p>\n April 14, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n For child victims of abuse, nothing is more important than a swift response that keeps them safe, addresses their physical injuries and emotional harm, and brings abusers to justice.<\/p>\n Safe Horizon\u2019s Child Advocacy Centers<\/a> (CACs) are child-friendly facilities where a multidisciplinary team of experts work together to investigate, respond to, and prosecute cases of child sexual and severe physical abuse. This team, based at each CAC includes: child protective staff from the NYC Administration from Children\u2019s Services, detectives from the New York Police Department\u2019s Child Abuse Squad, medical professionals from premier hospitals, Assistant District Attorneys, and mental health and support staff from Safe Horizon.<\/p>\n Lieutenant Michael Donovan, \u00a0NYPD Commanding Officer of the Bronx Child Abuse Squad<\/em> <\/em><\/em><\/p>\n At the Bronx CAC, Lieutenant Michael Donovan serves as the NYPD Commanding Officer of the Bronx Child Abuse Squad. He heads the unit compromised of 15 police officers and 2 sergeants who collect evidence, interview witnesses and subjects, make arrests when appropriate, and help ensure the child and family’s safety.<\/p>\n Throughout his years on the force, Lieutenant Donovan has seen the positive impact the CACs have made in investigating and prosecuting child abuse cases. \u201cThe CAC\u2019s integration of all these agencies helps make the cases run smoother, builds the relationship between the staff, and helps keep them united around a common mission.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Lieutenant Donovan\u2019s unit handles sexual abuse cases for children twelve-years-old and younger and cases of severe physical abuse for children ages ten-years-old and under. They investigate an average of 110 cases per month.<\/p>\n A coordinated multidisciplinary team approach includes careful attention to which member of the team will conduct the initial interview with the child, called a forensic interview. These interviews are the cornerstone of a child abuse investigation, and may be the beginning of the road toward safety and healing for many children and families.<\/p>\n Detectives appreciate that children and their impacted family members can get the support and expert services they need at a CAC, promptly and all in one place. \u201cI\u2019m extremely proud of my detectives. They are so attuned to victims\u2019 needs and will give it their all to take a child out of harm\u2019s way and work towards getting them the justice they deserve.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Lieutenant Michael Donovan and his team of detectives at the Bronx CAC<\/em><\/p>\n Lieutenant Donovan began his career with the NYPD in the 1990s, working out of the 34th precinct in Washington Heights, Manhattan and then became a Sergeant in the Bronx. He decided to transfer to the SVU after investigating multiple child abuse cases. One case he will never forget involved a ten-year-old girl who was home alone and concerned neighbors called the police. She was relieved to confide in someone and tell them about how her mother had been abusing her for so long. \u201cIt\u2019s been 20 years, but to this day I remember that girl and how she inspired me to help children everywhere who have been abused.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The opening of the Bronx CAC in February 2015, our fifth CAC, was a milestone for both New York City and Safe Horizon\u2019s efforts in fighting child abuse. As he completes his first full year working out of the Bronx CAC, Lieutenant Donovan looks back fondly. \u201cWhen I was assigned to work at the Bronx CAC it was the first time I experienced such a seamless way child abuse cases were investigated and prosecuted. Between the sergeants, detectives, doctors and social workers and all staff in general, we have an excellent working relationship.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cI\u2019m extremely proud of my detectives who are so attuned to victims\u2019 needs and give it their all to take a child out of harm\u2019s way.\u201d <\/em>– Lieutenant Michael Donovan, part of the Bronx Child Advocacy Center\u2019s multidisciplinary team who investigate, respond to, and prosecute cases of child abuse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":{"id":1388,"alt_text":"","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":697,"height":467,"file":"2016\/06\/1460653141_Lieutenant-Michael-Donovan-Bronx-CAC-sharp.png","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"1460653141_Lieutenant-Michael-Donovan-Bronx-CAC-sharp-150x150.png","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/png","ewww_image_optimizer":"optipng<\/em> is missing","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/1460653141_Lieutenant-Michael-Donovan-Bronx-CAC-sharp-150x150.png"},"medium":{"file":"1460653141_Lieutenant-Michael-Donovan-Bronx-CAC-sharp-300x201.png","width":300,"height":201,"mime-type":"image\/png","ewww_image_optimizer":"optipng<\/em> is missing","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/1460653141_Lieutenant-Michael-Donovan-Bronx-CAC-sharp-300x201.png"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]},"ewww_image_optimizer":"optipng<\/em> is missing"},"post":1387,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/1460653141_Lieutenant-Michael-Donovan-Bronx-CAC-sharp.png"},"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2015],"tags":[141,139,147],"class_list":["post-1387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-blog","tag-child-abuse","tag-child-advocacy-center","tag-lieutenant-michael-donovan","issue-child-abuse"],"acf":{"page_header_excerpt":"\u201cI\u2019m extremely proud of my detectives who are so attuned to victims\u2019 needs and give it their all to take a child out of harm\u2019s way.\u201d - Lieutenant Michael Donovan, part of the Bronx Child Advocacy Center\u2019s multidisciplinary team who investigate, respond to, and prosecute cases of child abuse.","related_initiative_link":"http:\/\/connect.safehorizon.org\/help-child-sexual-abuse-survivors-gain-justice?utm_campaign=CVA%20-%20Child%20Victims%20Act&utm_source=Safe%20Horizon%20Blog&utm_medium=Safe%20Horizon%20Blog","original_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/page\/lieutenant-michael-donovan-to-protect-and-serve-child-victims-of-abuse-455.html","page_header_title":"","page_header_image":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/silhouette_hero_image.png","related_initiative_title":"Stand up for survivors of child sex abuse","related_initiative_link_text":"Sign our pledge","featured_posts":[{"ID":1376,"post_author":"12","post_date":"2013-12-05 00:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2013-12-05 00:00:00","post_content":"![\"Lieutenant](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/1460653141_Lieutenant-Michael-Donovan-Bronx-CAC-sharp-1.png\")
<\/p>\nThe Real SVU
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"Lieutenant](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/1460653132_Lieutenant-Michael-Donovan-Bronx-CAC-Staff-2-1.png\")
<\/p>\nLieutenant Donovan: Behind the Badge<\/h2>\n
A Legacy of Hope for Abused Children<\/h2>\n
![\"Angelica's](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Angelicas-Dad-Supports-Her-Healing.jpg\")
\r\n\r\nAfter nine-year-old *Angelica's mother suddenly passed away, her father turned to a close friend to help babysit Angelica after school.\r\n\r\nTragically, this 'trusted friend' repeatedly raped Angelica over the course of months and threatened her not to tell anyone. Summoning all of her courage, she finally told her teachers, who then\u00a0reported her case to the New York State Child Abuse Hotline. With their report, Angelica and her father were taken to one of Safe Horizon's\u00a0Child Advocacy Centers (CACs)<\/a>.\r\nHow We Helped Angelica overcome Child Abuse<\/h2>\r\nAt first, Angelica didn\u2019t want to talk about what happened. She had been so scared of losing her father and of being taken away that she held onto this awful secret for months. Our staff assured Angelica that she had done the right thing by telling her teachers. With\u00a0this help and encouragement, Angelica opened up to them about the abuse.\r\n\r\nAngelica\u2019s father, meanwhile, was angry and felt incredibly guilty that his best friend had taken advantage of their tragic situation to hurt and terrorize Angelica. Our counselors helped him understand that the abuse was not his fault, and offered him a chance to learn more about how he could support Angelica.\r\n
Justice for Angelica: Child Abuse Survivor<\/h2>\r\nOur CACs partner with the police to bring child abuser perpetrators to justice and\u00a0had some questions of their own for Angelica\u2019s abuser. They discovered that he found out that Angelica had finally reported what he had done and he tried to flee. The police brought him back to our CAC, where they interviewed him. After concluding their investigation, the police arrested the man who Angelica\u2019s father had put so much trust in.\r\n\r\nAngelica\u2019s abuser ended up on trial, and with the tremendous help of our counselors and partners, Angelica is no longer afraid to tell her father when something\u2019s wrong and her father tells us that they\u2019ve become much closer.\u00a0They are now a family again thanks to our CAC staff, who help child abuse survivors like Angelica get a chance to find happiness, safety, and a new start after abuse.\r\n\r\n* Client names and identifying information have been changed to protect their privacy. Images used are representations of Safe Horizon\u2019s clients.<\/em><\/span>","post_title":"Angelica\u2019s Dad Supports Her Healing from Child Abuse","post_excerpt":"Something happened to Angelica that devastated both her and her father. Our Child Advocacy Center staff gave Angelica and her dad the chance to heal from child abuse.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"angelicas-dad-supports-her-healing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2017-10-03 17:10:30","post_modified_gmt":"2017-10-03 17:10:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/safehorizon.dev\/uncategorized-en\/angelicas-dad-supports-her-healing\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":434,"post_author":"6","post_date":"2016-05-24 17:50:20","post_date_gmt":"2016-05-24 17:50:20","post_content":"Safe Horizon impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of people affected by violence and abuse each year. We provide children, adults, and families the tools and resources they need to heal and recover. Our work is possible because of the generosity of supporters like you, who help us move victims from crisis to confidence. If you have any questions about donating to support our work, please e-mail fundraising@safehorizon.org<\/a> or you may call our office from Mon. to Fri. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 212-577-3888. In addition, please find our disclosure statement here<\/a>.\r\n
In Honor of Donations<\/h1>\r\nTo donate in honor of someone special or in honor of an occasion, please click here.<\/a>\r\n
Donate Stock<\/h1>\r\nSafe Horizon is pleased to accept donations of publicly-traded securities. If you would like to make a gift of stock, please call your broker with the information listed below and (s)he will process the transfer.\r\nBroker: Wilmington Trust N.A.\/M&T Bank\r\nDTC: 990\r\nABA: 031100092\r\nFBO: Safe Horizon\r\nAcct: 108915-005\r\nContact: Monica Choi Telephone: 212.415.0502\r\nSafe Horizon is a 501(c) (3) organization Federal Tax ID: 13-2946970\r\n\r\nAfter you have made transfer arrangements please contact Rob.Dickar@safehorizon.org<\/a> or call 212-577-7715 and provide the following information for us to facilitate your stock transfer:\u00a0 donor\u2019s name, complete address, the name and number of securities transferred.\r\n
Planned Giving<\/h1>\r\nThrough gift planning, you can translate your passion for the work of Safe Horizon into a legacy to help future generations. You may also receive significant tax benefits. For more information on how to take advantage of gift planning, including making a bequest, retirement and IRA gifts, Charitable Lead Trusts, \u00a0Charitable Remainder Trusts and more, please email us at fundraising@safehorizon.org<\/a>.\r\n
Donate a car<\/h1>\r\nSupport Safe Horizon by donating your used vehicle. We\u2019ll take cars, trucks, vans, RV\u2019s, boats (if they are on a trailer), and motorcycles that are running. It\u2019s easy to donate. Click here to start your vehicle donation application<\/a>.\r\n
Your Gifts are Secure<\/h1>\r\nSafe Horizon values your privacy and your security. All credit card transactions initiated by forms on this site are transmitted via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). The SSL protocol is the industry standard method for creating an encrypted, secure connection between your web browser and a web server. Safe Horizon has partnered with Kimbia, Inc. to assist in the processing of online transactions. Your online payment information is always kept completely confidential. Click here<\/a> to read our full Privacy Policy. Donations made to Safe Horizon are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.\r\n\r\nSafe Horizon is a 501(c) (3) organization Federal Tax ID: 13-2946970","post_title":"Donate","post_excerpt":"Safe Horizon impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of people affected by violence and abuse each year. Donate to help end violence and abuse.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"donate","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2019-01-31 17:35:01","post_modified_gmt":"2019-01-31 17:35:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/safehorizon.harbordev.co\/?page_id=434","menu_order":0,"post_type":"page","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}]},"yoast_head":"\n