Fairmont and Marion County law enforcement kick off No Shave for the Brave fundraiser for the Child Advocacy Center

Times West Virginian - 11/3/2021

Nov. 3—FAIRMONT — Neighborhood cops may look a little scruffy this month.

That's because the Fairmont Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff's Department have just embarked on their month-long campaign called No Shave for the Brave.

Lawmen made their pledges to raise money and awareness for the Marion County Child Advocacy Center.

The center was created as a way for children to provide court-approved testimony without the trauma of repeated interviews or courtroom appearances.

"The program was developed under the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network," Fairmont Police Chief Steve Shine said. "Everyone works together to make it a one-stop child-safe, child-friendly facility.

"[The Department of Health and Human Resources], the police, the prosecution, and even treatment professionals, all work together to investigate the abuse and find out what they've experienced without opening them up to multiple interviews," Shine said.

"It's a different approach. Specially trained forensic interviewers ask questions without leading them," Shine said, "and it can hold up to defense at court time."

This is the fifth year of the No Shave for the Brave fundraiser, which has become popular with law enforcement not only because it supports a good cause, but also because officers and deputies can let their beards grow for a full month.

"We relax our grooming standards for the month," Shine said. "We have a 'clean shave' policy, but we do allow mustaches."

"I know the guys on the force really look forward to having a month off from shaving," forensic interviewer and family advocate Donna Blood said. "People can support their favorite law enforcement agency, or individual officers. Or they can just donate to the Child Advocacy Center."

At the end of the month, staff at the Child Advocacy Center will vote on the best beards. Officers will be rewarded with gift certificates for best beard and best try for a beard.

"Really, the gift certificates are a token of appreciation for being on the front line protecting kids," said Blood, who is also Fairmont's deputy mayor. "We work with a lot of dedicated law enforcement, and providing a gift certificate for dinner is the least we can do."

The importance of the Child Advocacy Center is most apparent to people who know children going through the court system. Children may have to be interviewed for reasons outside of abuse cases, Shine said.

"The kids that come in for interviews, they're not all abuse cases. They can be witness to a crime, they can be a child suspect, or they may have been involved when other people were arrested," Shine said.

"This limits the trauma to children," Shine said. "It might get them to open up to see if we might be able to help them."

In the traditional sense of child advocacy, an adult guides the child through the interview process, as well as through the justice system in general. But, law enforcement has noted flaws in these older methods.

"Anyone who advocates for the child may ask leading questions," Shine said.

Or, you might have a ineffectual interviewer and the opportunity is lost.

"If you take a street cop who may not have children try to figure out what a 4 year old is trying to tell them, the child may just say what they think the cop wants to hear," Shine said.

At the Child Advocacy Center, trained interviewers are able to put the children at ease and chat with the children in a comfortable room with toys.

"There are remote cameras so prosecutors and law enforcement can watch the interview take place," Shine said. "After a while, they take a break and the interviewer goes out and asks, 'Does anyone have any more questions they want to ask?' This way, the questions aren't asked to elicit a certain response."

The Child Advocacy Center is not a government agency. It's a grant and community funded program that has been sanctioned by the state.

There are 36 officers with the Fairmont Police Department, and 28 deputies with the Sheriff's Department.

To reach Lori Riley, email lriley@timeswv.com.

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