SAFE Center

The Special Assault Forensic Evaluation (SAFE) Center was established in 1991 to assist children and dependent adults who may be victims of sexual or physical abuse, neglect, or witnesses to violent crimes, including domestic violence, homicide, and drug endangered children.

The purpose of the SAFE Center is to reduce the number of interviews and decrease the number of people who will talk to your child. The SAFE Center provides a welcoming, child-friendly environment for interviews to take place. Information from the interview is shared solely with people involved in the investigation.

More than 12,000 interviews have been conducted since the center opened in 1991. The SAFE Center is a member of the National Children’s Alliance (NCA), which provides support to child advocacy centers across the nation.

The SAFE Center of Sacramento is a collaboration between various agencies dedicated to the safety and protection of children and dependent adults. The following is a list of participating agencies:

• Sacramento County Department of Children, Family, and Adult Services (DCFAS)
• Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office
• Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, Victim and Witness Assistance Program
• Sacramento Police Department
• Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department
• Elk Grove Police Department
• Citrus Heights Police Department
• Folsom Police Department
• Galt Police Department
• University of California, Davis Police Department
• California State Department of Social Services
• University of California, Davis, CAARE Center
• Sacramento County Superior and Juvenile Court
• Bridging Evidence Assessment and Resources (BEAR) Center
• Child Abuse Prevention Council

After checking in with the security desk on the first floor of the building, a member of the SAFE Center team will escort you to the SAFE Center on the third floor. You will be taken to a waiting room. You will get a tour of the center by the forensic interview specialist who will later conduct the forensic interview. While your child is being interviewed, a member of our team will meet with you to discuss resources if needed.

Your child will be interviewed in one of our two interview rooms. To help children feel more comfortable, each interview room has child-sized and adult-sized furniture to meet your child’s developmental needs. Both rooms have two-way mirrors, microphones, and a video camera, which is located in the corner. The makeup of the room is discussed during your tour of the center.

The entire process takes one to two hours, though it may vary from child to child.

No, not unless your child brings it up. In that case, listen to your child without comment. Reassure your child that he or she will be alright.

“We are going to talk to someone who needs to know what happened. This person talks to kids all the time about similar things. When you talk, it will be videotaped. This is so there is a record of what you talked about. The detective will keep the video. It will not be on TV. Only people involved in the case can see it. You need to tell the truth and tell everything you remember. You are not in trouble. We just want to make sure we understand everything that happened. I won’t get to be in the room with you, but I will be right outside if you need me.”

Your child will be interviewed by a forensic interview specialist. This is a social worker who has special training and experience in talking to children about difficult subjects.

No. To maintain the neutrality of the investigation, only those people who are directly involved in the investigation may watch the interview.

Please make sure your child eats a meal prior to coming to the SAFE Center, as children who are hungry may be distracted during the interview process. If your child has any prescribed medications, please ensure they take them as prescribed prior to the interview. If your child has any special needs, please notify SAFE Center staff prior to the day of the interview.

You will be able to talk to the detective and ask questions after the interview. The detective will answer your questions as appropriate so long as to not jeopardize their investigation. Your child may still have to testify in court about what happened. Support services may be available to you and your child to help you through this process. Talk to a SAFE Center staff member for more information.