In Montco, Child-Victim Facility Gets Nod of Approval From Sen. Pat Toomey
By David Madden
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- A private, nonprofit group whose charge is to ease children through contacts with the criminal justice system in Montgomery County today showed US senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) just what they're all about.
Housed in a nondescript building with an unpublicized address, Mission Kids allows children ages 3 to 17 the chance to deal with investigating detectives in a friendly environment.
Actually, the kids never meet the detectives. Interviews are done with staffers who videotape the session, with those detectives in another room.
It's one of some two dozen child advocacy centers throughout Pennsylvania, and Toomey was impressed with what he saw today.
"I'm very curious about whether there'd be opportunities to expand this to other parts of the Commonwealth," he said afterward.
In fact, efforts to do just that are already in the works.
These centers also help kids with their medical and psychological needs.
Montgomery County district attorney Risa Ferman, who co-founded this facility, says they constantly seek grants to keep it up and running, and Toomey replied that his staff will be glad to help on that front.
