A decrease in child abuse cases?

◼ Humboldt County sees decrease in child abuse cases; prevention advocates credit community partnerships

Boy, I'll say.

...Sutcliffe said the agency has seen a 25 percent decrease in reports that were serious enough to result in investigations and a 40 decrease in investigations that led to cases between 2006 and 2009....

Let's see the new numbers. Here are the old ones:

In 1997
There were 137 CAST Child Interviews
There were 56 cases of alleged child abuse RECEIVED by the DAs office
There were 37 child abuse cases FILED by the DAs office

In 1998
There were 142 CAST Interviews
There were 52 cases received by the DAs office
There were 37 cases FILED by the DAs office

In 1999
There were 194 CAST Interviews
There were 81 cases received by the DAs office
There were 49 cases FILED by the DAs office

In 2000
There were 194 CAST Interviews
There were 66 cases received by the DAs office
There were 48 cases FILED by the DAs office

In 2001
There were 196 CAST Interviews
There were 65 cases received by the DAs office
There were 46 cases FILED by the DAs office

In 2002
There were 215 CAST Interviews
There were 66 cases received by the DAs office
There were 47 cases FILED by the DAs office

In January of 2003, Paul Gallegos took office

In 2003
There were 205 CAST Interviews
There were 67 cases received by the DAs office
There were 40 cases FILED by the DAs office

In June of 2004 Paul Gallegos fired his top child abuse prosecutor.

In 2004
There were 146 CAST Interviews
There were 50 cases received by the DAs office
There were 23 cases FILED by the DAs office

In 2005
There were 155 CAST Interviews
There were 35 cases received by the DAs office
There were 17 cases FILED by the DAs office

In the first four months of 2006
There were 40 CAST Interviews (on track for 120 interviews)
There were 4 cases received by the DAs office (on track for 12 cases received)
There was 1 case FILED by the DAs office.

ONE.

ONE child abuse case filed. January to April of that year.

And now - a report of "a 40 decrease in investigations that led to cases between 2006 and 2009."

A 40% decrease.

40%

◼ "A matter of priorities"
RELATED STORIES:
ER - Former deputy DA speaks out
ER - Candidates spar over child abuse team
ER - DA's Office yet to respond to request for child abuse records
ER - CAST established with child victims in mind
ER - CAST needs support Gallegos is not providing
(Note that Eureka Reporter stories are no longer available online, and you should be able to find them at your County Library in hardcopy. A few are saved here):
Former deputy DA speaks out
Candidates spar over child abuse team
DA's Office yet to respond to request for child abuse records

There is no question that the hardworking people at The Humboldt County Domestic Violence Prevention Coordinating Council, the Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Council of Humboldt County, the Teen Center and the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services' Child Welfare Services, Humboldt County Chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse, and CAST (not mentioned in this story but honored earlier this week by the Board of Supervisors) do good work. But there are serious questions to be asked here.