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The Buena Vista Police Department held a formal dedication of the department’s new safe room last Wednesday and thanked out-going Mayor William Fitzgerald for suggesting that a safe room be incorporated into the department.
“It seems small,” said BVPD Chief Wayne Handley. “It actually looks small, but the concept is a very good concept … It’s seemingly insignificant because it’s just a room, but the meaning behind what the room is about is more important.”
The room, which is a repurposed storage room on the upper floor of the police department building, holds a couch, some chairs, toys and a television with access to a number of streaming services. The purpose of the room is to provide a safe space for victims of crimes to rest and recover while at the police station, especially children who are waiting for Social Services.
The idea was first brought up in March and once everyone was on board, took about eight weeks to complete. Handley noted that the room has already been utilized since being put together, even as recently as the previous Sunday night, when a 12-year-old was brought into the department in a case involving methamphetamine.
“It really did feel good for a lot of us, that we were able to look at it and say, ‘You know what? This is exactly what this was designed to be for,’” he said.
Fitzgerald noted that the room is not just for use by the Buena Vista Police Department, but is available for use by Lexington and Rockbridge County departments as well if they need it.
“Anytime a child is involved, the child can come here, Social Services can supply someone to look after the child and the grown-ups can work out the details,” he said. “Whenever there’s a child involved, everybody’s focused on taking care of that child. Sometimes tempers are flared because everybody’s got the same goal, but certain things have got to be met before Social Services can take control of the situation, so here, you’re taking the child out of the picture, and then people can sit there and work out the details without worrying about the child.”
Following the dedication, Handley took members of the community, including staff of the Rockbridge Area Department of Social Services, to see the room. RADSS Director Dinah Hupman, when she saw the room, commented that the furniture was “much better than our office chairs” as a potential place to sleep for children, adding that she appreciated “the partnership we’ve done to collaborate on this.” She also noted that it was a safe space for her staff, especially when dealing with children with behavioral issues.
“It’s much safer,” she said to Handley. “It’s safe and secure and we know we have the security of being in the police department, so I appreciate that for my staff. One of the biggest concerns that we have at Social Services throughout Virginia is having these kids in our offices and we’re not formally trained to handle those types of behaviors or responsibilities.”
The room also has a camera and a microphone and can be used for interviews in a more relaxed setting than a standard interview room, which Handley noted can help put the child or victim at ease.
The room contains a number of toys and stuffed animals that were donated by Project Horizon and Handley is also working on ways to add to the safe room aspect, including getting local sewing circles to make blankets that children who stay in the room can take with them when they leave the police department.
