BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Police Department teams up with the Osborne Association to implement the safeguarding children of arrested parents program to minimize the potential trauma a child might face.
The AT&T-funded program has guided at least 76 percent of law enforcement officers in Buffalo on what to do if they arrest someone while their child is around.
“An arrest of a parent that is up there with probably one of the most traumatizing things these children can see and it has a long-lasting effect,” says Commissioner Joseph A. Gramaglia. “We work very very hard to build those community relations and the last thing we want to do is already have a child against us at a young age.”
A program coordinator with the Buffalo Osborne Association tells 7 News reporter Yoselin Person she has heard stories from children that were traumatized seeing their parents being arrested.
“Kids were scared and didn’t know what was going on. They were told that their parent will be right back and was gone for days,” Dior Lindsey says. “And didn’t know where they were. So you know just making sure those effective conversations so kids can feel better supported and don’t feel invisible when it comes to stuff like that.”
The CEO of Osborne Association says the hope is to have other police departments in neighboring regions see Buffalo Police as a working example.
“We know that there’s a real value to this programming and to advance this conversation,” says CEO of Osborne Association Archana Jayaram. “And having that ability to take that to other places would really just help a lot more families in the region.”
There will be a conversation for families affected by a loved one's incarceration at the Community Health Center on March 16th.
