Crime Prevention

The ABC's of Safe Sleeping

The birth of a child is a life changing joyous event for families, and one that brings new challenges for parents. As a parent and your District Attorney, I want to share with you information that I have learned from the work of our Child Fatality Review Team (CFRT) here in Westchester about the importance of safe sleeping environments.

There far too many deaths where an unsafe sleeping environment that includes pillows, stuffed animals, or co-sleeping with an adult were present during the investigation of a child fatality. While it doesn’t mean that the unsafe sleeping practice was necessarily the cause or death, the CFRT recognized it was present and of a concern during their review.

Members of the CFRT, including my office, participated in this campaign. I am committed as your District Attorney to continue to educate parents on the importance of a safe sleeping environment for our children.

The ABCs of Safe Sleep, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, are that the safest way for babies to sleep is Alone, on their Backs, and in a Crib. I encourage you to watch the video sponsored by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services and the New York State Department of Health, which explains and demonstrates the simple safe sleeping ABCs. Follow these safe sleeping rules for your baby:

Babies should always sleep alone in a crib
Never with adults or siblings
On a surface that is flat and firm
No pillows, blankets, toys or stuffed animals

Always place the baby on their back
No sleeping on their sides or stomach
Avoid clothing that overheats the baby
Use tightly fitted sheets with no blankets

Baby should sleep in a safe and separate crib
Use only cribs, cradles or bassinets approved for sleeping babies.
Keep the baby’s room a comfortably cool temperature.
Never allow the baby to sleep on the couch

In 2016, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a new law that requires that hospitals and birth centers must include the recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics relating to safe sleep, including sleep space, sleep position, and discussion on how to reduce the risk of infant deaths through safe sleep practices with other important information previously provided to maternity patients. This information may take the form of a video or a leaflet.

As District Attorney, I am proud to be working with the CFRT and the County Executive to improve child safety and continue to educate parents on the ABCs of safe sleeping and keeping their babies safe here in Westchester.

NYS Forensic Acute Care Team (FACT)

Law enforcement and medical professionals, who have worked with sexual assault victims, know that victims are often "victimized" again when they go to hospital emergency rooms for medical care and evidence collection. All too often, the nurses who perform the exams often lack training and experience in working with sexual assault victims and in preserving evidence.

FACT is a team of experienced, highly qualified and compassionate physicians and nurses available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to offer various aspects of medical and/or forensic care to patients presenting with concerns for recent (within 96 hours) sexual abuse or assault. FACT is one of five programs in New York State certified as a Center of Excellence for children, adolescents and adults presenting with concerns for abuse and/or assault.

Tough Gun Laws

New York State has elevated the penalty for anyone illegally possessing a loaded firearm.

If you are caught possessing an illegally loaded firearm, you will face a minimum of 3 ½ and a maximum of fifteen years in state prison. The crime of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, which is the legal statute for possessing an illegal loaded gun, has been elevated from a class “D” Felony to a class “C” Felony. In addition to elevating the penalty for possession of an illegal firearm, those found guilty will face certain prison time, with the possibility of probation no longer an option in the higher felony.

Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore vigorously supports the tougher penalties, “Illegal handguns are a catalyst for violence and death. The lives of far too many people for far too long have been damaged by gun violence. In elevating the penalty for carrying an illegal loaded handgun to a minimum of three and a half years, the message couldn’t be plainer: this behavior will not be tolerated and if you chose to disregard the law, you will be held strictly accountable.”

The Westchester County District Attorney's Office has developed an outreach campaign targeting at risk groups and communities to alert them of the new law and its penalties.

Called “Easy Choice or Hard Time”, it consists of a poster and palm cards in English and a poster and palm cards in Spanish, being distributed at various locations throughout Westchester County including schools, community centers and churches. Additionally, inmates that are released on probation or parole from the Westchester County Jail and the Valley Cottage Juvenile home will be alerted to the new law.

Rights of Crime Victims

Office of Victims Services The New York State Office of Victim's Services provides substantial financial relief to victims of crime and their families by paying unreimbursed crime-related expenses, including but not limited to: medical and funeral expenses, loss of earnings or support, counseling costs, crime scene clean-up expenses, the cost to repair or replace items of essential personal property, reasonable and necessary court transportation expenses, assistance to crime victims acting as a good Samaritan, the cost of residing at or utilizing the services of a domestic violence shelter, and limited attorney fees.

Download a copy of their booklet outlining how you can most benefit from a pending criminal matter.

Child Fatality Review Team

In 2006, Westchester County became the fourth county in the state to have an approved Child Fatality Review Team (CFRT). The Child Fatality Review Team’s mission is to review reported child fatalities and to promote child safety in Westchester County through its subsequent comprehensive multidisciplinary examination of the cause, manner and circumstances of a designated child’s death and to determine actions that may be taken to prevent future unnecessary deaths.

The Child Fatality Review Team brings together the resources of a multidisciplinary team of professionals including, the District Attorney, the Medical Examiner, Department of Social Services, Department of Health, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, a forensic pediatrician, Victim Assistance Services and members of law enforcement, including the New York State Police and local police departments, to carefully review the circumstances that have led up to the death of any child, who at the time of the death, was receiving services from the Department of Social Services or its contract agency; whose death was reported to the New York State Central Registrar for Child Abuse and Maltreatment; or whose death is unexplained, unexpected or suspicious.

The Westchester County CFRT is committed to examining deaths with the goal of preventing future fatalities. Toward this end, the CFRT does not limit its scope of its reviews or recommendations to that which the social services law requires, but rather the CFRT uses its reviews to make all appropriate recommendations to promote child safety. Since its inception here in Westchester County the CFRT has prepared eight independent reports for public dissemination which proactively address issues related to child deaths reviewed by the team.

Most recently in October 2016, members of the CFRT, including the District Attorney’s Office participated in a public awareness campaign launched by the county aimed at preventing infant deaths attributed to unsafe sleep environment by promoting the “ABCs of Safe Sleep” throughout Westchester. The Westchester County District Attorney is committed to the mission of the Child Fatality Review Team and preventing the tragic deaths of children.

Independent Child Fatility Reviews