Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success for the second time this year with the report of a safely surrendered newborn. This most recent safe surrender occurred on May 29, 2011 at Fire Station #104 in Winnetka.
The mother gave birth to the baby boy at home and then went to the fire station and asked to surrender the infant. As is standard practice, the baby boy is in protective custody and will be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.
“The Safe Surrender program was created to give mothers a safe, secure and anonymous way to get their child into safe hands and to protect babies from abandonment,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Thanks to the Safe Surrender program, this baby boy has a second chance at life and hope for a bright future.”
This is the second Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2011, and the 85th since the program began ten years ago. The program was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in 2001. It allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.