Mar 29, 2006 9:14 pm US/Eastern
Mayor Bloomberg Gets Hands Dirty In ACS Mess
Announces More Changes, Gets Police And Schools Involved
by Marcia Kramer
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
More big changes are being made to the agency that's supposed to keep city children safe.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Wednesday said he wants to make police and school officials play an important role.
After the city failed to prevent the death of little Nixzmary Brown, who was tortured and beaten repeatedly by her parent, Bloomberg vowed to make preventing child abuse so important that several city agencies would have to pitch in. On Wednesday he made good on that promise.
"We've looked at the protocols and say we can make them better," Bloomberg said. "Sadly what really happened with Nixzmary Brown is her parents killed her and we as a society didn't recognize the danger the child was in and respond fast enough."
With Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein at his side, Bloomberg gave those agencies new roles in keeping children safe. They include:
*For the very first time a police lieutenant will be assigned to the city's Administration for Children Services to coordinate police response.
*There are new guidelines requiring teachers and school personnel to report absences of longer than 10 days and children with bruises.
Said Kelly: "Let me say that nothing resonates to a police officer more personally or powerfully than a call to help a child in danger. As a department, we are eager to broaden training in this issue."
One of the problems in the Nixzmary Brown case was that ACS workers were kept out of her Bedford Stuyvesant apartment by her stepfather, Cesar Rodriguez, and mother, Nixzaliz Santiago. Now they'll be forced to get court orders to get inside.
Bloomberg said that despite everything being done there are no guarantees of preventing another Nixzmary Brown case.
"The great tragedy here, and I can't explain it, is that this child's parents took her life," the mayor said.
As part of his overhaul, Bloomberg also ordered enhanced training for hospital and medical personnel to make sure they know how to identify and report severe abuse and neglect cases to the proper authorities for investigation.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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