Safe Surrender

Anti-Gang Program Will Continue In The Cities Of Bellflower And Paramount

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced today that the Board of Supervisors has authorized two separate one-year agreements between the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the Cities of Bellflower and Paramount for the continuance of a successful gang abatement program in the two cities.

The Strategies Against Gang Environments (SAGE) Program decreases street gang violence and narcotics-related activities by utilizing civil injunctions and other procedures to enhance a city’s efforts to reduce gang violence and graffiti problems. The program also aims to divert potentially dangerous gang activity into more constructive behavior within the community.

Under the terms of the agreements, one full-time Deputy District Attorney will be maintained within each of the cities. The assigned Deputy District Attorneys will also pursue civil nuisance abatement actions, and will advise and work with city law enforcement officers, community leaders, and other officials to develop a multifaceted strategy for improving public safety.

The SAGE program is an outstanding program that has really benefited cities throughout the County, said Supervisor Knabe. I am proud that, once again, the District Attorney’s Office is partnering together with our cities to combat gang violence. We have lost too many residents to senseless violence, and I am pleased that our cities are using this program to take back our streets.

Knabe Will Again Oppose Legislation That Will Negatively Impact The Safe Surrender Program

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, renewed his opposition for the fourth time to new legislation by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico (D-Fremont) that will fundamentally alter the rules of the highly-successful Safe Haven Law.

Under the proposed legislation, AB 1048 will extend the newborn surrender period to 30 days. Currently, the program allows mothers of unwanted newborns to surrender their babies at Safe Surrender sites, such as Fire Stations and Hospitals, up to 72 hours after the child’s birth. Access to quality medical care in the first hours of life is a critical component that could be placed in jeopardy if this legislation passes. Many infants who are safely surrendered have received no prenatal care or medical care at all – services that are critical for these newborns to receive in the first hours after birth. Extensive research has shown that the 72 hour window works.

Similar bills have been introduced each of the last three years by Assemblyman Torrico. All three attempts, AB 1873, AB 81 and AB 2262 were vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This was an unnecessary bill the first three times, and it remains unnecessary, said Supervisor Knabe, who championed the Safe Surrender Program, the Los Angeles County version of the Safe Haven Program, over six years ago. There is no data showing that an extension to the 30 days proposed in Assemblyman Torrico’s legislation would improve this successful program, and we cannot allow an arbitrary number with no scientific basis to compromise the safety of these babies. The only window that has irrefutable evidence is the 72 hours, and changing it is a risk that we simply cannot afford. I vow to fight this bill every step along the way.

Los Angeles County has been at the forefront of implementing the Safe Haven Law. Since its enactment in 2002, 70 babies have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County – more than one-third of all the newborns saved in California.

Montebello Hospital Receives First Safely Surrendered Newborn Of 2009

Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, is pleased to announce that a baby girl was safely surrendered recently at Beverly Hospital in the City of Montebello.

The newborn Hispanic female was born February 9 and is reported to be in good health. As is standard practice, the baby girl is in protective custody and will eventually be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

I want to thank this newborn’s mother for doing the right thing, said Supervisor Knabe. The Safe Surrender Program continues to protect babies from abandonment and give mothers a safe, secure, and anonymous way to get their child into safe hands.

This is the first Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2009 and the 70th Safe Surrender since the program began eight years ago. The last surrender occurred in Valencia in September 2008. A total of seven newborns were surrendered last year. 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.

LA County Celebrates 25 Years Of Trauma Services

December 2008 marks the 25th anniversary of Los Angeles County’s trauma system. Nearly 400,000 critically injured trauma patients have been treated in local trauma centers since the first trauma centers were designated in 1983. Traumatic injuries continue to be the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 1 and 44.

Critically injured trauma patients include those who require immediate life-saving surgical intervention because of major blood loss or shock as a result of motor vehicle crashes, gunshot or knife wounds, falls, or other violent accidents. These patients are brought by ambulance directly to a trauma center for specialized care rather than being transported to the nearest emergency room.

Unlike regular community hospitals, trauma centers maintain an entire team of specialized medical personnel, including a trauma surgeon, who are available 24 hours a day to ensure that life-threatening injuries to be treated at a moment’s notice. There are currently 13 trauma centers in Los Angeles County, making it the largest organized trauma system in the country.

As we saw during the recent train collision in Chatsworth, trauma centers are crucial to disaster response, says Cathy Chidester, Director of the Emergency Medical Services Agency. There are four to five multi-casualty incidents every month in the county, where critically injured victims are taken to a trauma center.

Over the past 25 years, the number of trauma patients treated annually has grown from 15,138 in 1984, to 19,481 in 2007. The most recent data shows that males have more traumatic injuries than females (14,584 males vs. 4,897 females) and that the top five mechanisms of injury are: motor vehicle crashes (5,039), falls (4,045), auto vs. pedestrian/bicycle (2,947), gunshot wounds (2,366), and motorcycle crashes (1,339). Out of 19,481 trauma patients, nearly 1,800 were pediatric.

Trauma System History

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors officially designated the first eight trauma centers on December 15, 1983. The system grew to a peak in 1985 with a total of 22 designated trauma centers. The county currently has 13 trauma centers.

During the initial period of growth, there were many perceived advantages in seeking trauma center designation, such as marketing advantages, prestige, and favorable impact on post-graduate training programs. However, it quickly became evident that the perceived benefits were not enough to offset the high levels of uncompensated care for trauma patients.

The decline of trauma centers was finally halted with the implementation of secure trauma catchment areas, which helped keep patient numbers high enough for trauma centers to maintain high-quality training programs, and the Board of Supervisors’ decision to allocate newly available Proposition 99 tobacco tax monies to offset the trauma centers’ financial losses.

Additionally, the recent stability of the trauma system network is largely due to the voter-approved special parcel tax (called Measure B: Trauma, Emergency and Bioterrorism Response Assessment) that was approved in 2002. Part of the money that is collected allows the county to maintain and enhance the trauma network.

The trauma system has proven to be cost effective because it lowers mortality and morbidity rates, decreases permanent disabilities, and decreases the number of productive years lost to society, says Chidester. More importantly, the system saves lives every day by providing highly specialized care for the most life-threatening injuries.

County Celebrates National Adoption Day

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) will co-host the 10th Annual Adoption Saturday with 200 children adopted into permanent families.

A news conference will be held on November 15, 2008, at 8:30 a.m. in the first floor conference room of the Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court, 201 Centre Plaza Drive in Monterey Park. Speakers at the event include DCFS Director Patricia Ploehn, Presiding Children’s Court Judge Michael Nash, actress and UNICEF ambassador Lucy Liu and dignitaries from other organizations including the Children’s Law Center and the Alliance for Children’s Rights.

Los Angeles County founded "Adoption Saturday" which led to the creation of National Adoption Day. Since Adoption Saturday began 10 years ago, more than 10,000 adoptions have been completed. On November 15th, Judge Michael Nash and approximately 15 judicial officers will volunteer their time to finalize almost 200 adoptions. They will be joined by dozens of pro bono law firms and their attorneys representing the adoptive families.

This event is made possible each year through the collaboration of DCFS, the Los Angeles Juvenile Court, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, and Public Counsel Law Center. For more information about adopting through Los Angeles County, please call 1-888-811-1121, or log on to the DCFS website at www.lacdcfs.org and click on to the adoptions link at the top of the page.

Safe Surrender Protected By Governor’s Veto For Third Consecutive Year

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe offered his thanks to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today for vetoing a bill that would have placed the success of the statewide Safe Haven Law in jeopardy. This is the third consecutive year the Governor has vetoed similar legislation.

Under the proposed legislation, Assembly Bill 2262, the Safe Haven window would have been extended to seven days from its current 72 hours. Currently, the program allows mothers of unwanted newborns to surrender their babies at Safe Surrender sites, such as Fire Stations and Hospitals, up to 3 days after the child’s birth. The person who surrenders the newborn is protected from prosecution, No Shame, No Blame and No Names.

Extensive research and statistics show the danger zone for these babies is within the first hours of life. Extending the window from 72 hours to seven days could have created serious medical issues said Supervisor Knabe, who championed the formation of Safe Surrender, the Los Angeles County version of the Safe Haven Program, over six years ago.

Access to quality medical care in the first hours of life is an absolutely critical component that could have been placed in jeopardy had this legislation gone through, said Knabe. Many infants who are safely surrendered were born in secret and have received no prenatal care or medical care at all – services that are critical for these newborns to receive in the first hours after birth. That is a risk we simply cannot afford and we appreciate the Governor’s veto.

Los Angeles County has been at the forefront of implementing the Safe Haven Law. Since its enactment in 2001, 68 babies have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County.

Valencia Hospital Receives Safely Surrendered Newborn

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce that a baby boy was safely surrendered at a hospital in the community of Valencia yesterday. The mother reportedly told hospital workers she learned about Safe Surrender from reading a brochure about the program.

The newborn Hispanic male was reported to be in good health. As is standard practice, the baby boy is in protective custody and will eventually be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

I want to thank this newborn’s mother for doing the right thing, said Supervisor Knabe. We have a law on the books to protect babies from abandonment and give the mother a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands. It is still our goal that 2008 will be the first year with no abandoned newborns.

This is the seventh Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2008 and the 69th Safe Surrender since the program began seven 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.

Newborn Safely Surrendered In South Pasadena

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success again yesterday with the report of another safely surrendered newborn. This most recent report of a safe surrender occurred at a fire station in the City of South Pasadena.

The newborn Hispanic male was surrendered on Thursday, August 14 at South Pasadena Fire Station #81 and was transported to a local hospital. The newborn is reported to be in good health. 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.

This case could have ended in tragedy, but because of the Safe Surrender program, this baby boy has a long life ahead of him, said Supervisor Knabe. I am happy this mother made the right choice for her baby.

This is the sixth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2008, and the 68th since the program began seven 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.

Supervisors Payout Reward In 2006 Death of Newborn Baby In Alhambra

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today approved payout of two $5,000 rewards for information that led to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the death of Baby Rose, a newborn baby girl whose body was found along railroad tracks in the City of Alhambra.

The body of Baby Rose was discovered wrapped in plastic grocery bags on March 11, 2006. On March 16, 2006, Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich called for a $10,000 reward for information in the case. Over 50 tips were received by the Alhambra Police Department. Two of the tips aided in the investigation, so the County has authorized payout of the reward in the form of two separate amounts of $5,000 each. The two individuals who will receive the rewards have asked to remain anonymous.

Armed with information provided by the tipsters and DNA test results, the Alhambra Police Department was able to positively identify and arrest 41-year-old Tonya Shafer on November 29, 2006. On April 30, 2008, Shafer was sentenced to a prison term of 25 years-to-life.

This case shows that our reward system works and I am glad that the woman responsible for the death of Baby Rose is now in prison, said Supervisor Don Knabe. The sad reality is that newborn abandonments like this don’t need to happen. In Los Angeles County, we have a very successful alternative in the Safe Surrender Program, which allows for a person to confidentially handover a newborn.

The Safe Surrender 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. Since its inception, 67 newborns have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County.

Newborn Safely Surrendered In Woodland Hills

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced today that a baby was safely surrendered in at a hospital in Woodland Hills on Friday, February 29.

The newborn Hispanic female was born full tem and is in good health. Although the surrender occurred on Friday, it is normal for surrenders to take several days to be verified under the rules of the program. As is standard practice, the baby girl is in protective custody and will be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

This is the fourth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2008, and the 66th since the program began seven 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.

Another mother has done the right thing and saved her baby’s life, said Supervisor Knabe. There is no reason to abandon a child since we have a law that allows a mother to anonymously get her baby into safe hands with no questions asked.