Tennessee Chapter Presents First Annual “Child Protective Investigative Team Excellence Awards” At Statewide Conference On Response To Child Maltreatment
Metro Nashville Police Department Detective David Zoccola local recipient
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: JEANNE BOONE
NOVEMBER 29, 2007 615.327-9450 (OFFICE)
Nashville - The Tennessee Chapter of Children’s Advocacy Centers today announced the recipients of their first annual “Child Protective Investigative Team (CPIT) Excellence Awards” presented at the “Connecting for Children’s Justice 2007: A Team Approach” conference held in Nashville November 19-20, 2007 at the Music City Sheraton.
This award was presented to 6 members of the CPIT teams from all across Tennessee to recognize their commitment to a collaborative approach to investigations of child abuse and child sexual abuse. This years winners were: Anne Fisher, Forensic Interviewer, Montgomery County Child Advocacy Center, Jo Ann Gregory, Robertson County Police Department, Dr. Debra Mills, CAC of the 1st Judicial District, Kathy Rowden, Department of Children’s Services, Upper East TN, Barry Staubus, Assistant District Attorney, Sullivan County, and David Zoccola, Metro Nashville Police Department.
Sergeant Daniel Postiglione from the Metro Sex Crimes Unit stated “Detective David Zoccola has been a child abuse investigator for ten years and he has an extremely high case load, yet he never fails to volunteer for another case. What makes David stand out is his compassion towards the children of our community.”
June Turner, Executive Director of the Nashville Children’s Alliance praised Detective Zoccola for “his desire to work as a team member, his attendance at CPIT case reviews, and his service on statewide committees dealing with CPIT issues.”
Bonnie Beneke, Executive Director of the Tennessee Chapter of Children’s Advocacy Centers, stated that “Detective Zoccola was overwhelmingly chosen by our panel of judges for his commitment to the team approach to child abuse investigations.”
“Connecting for Children’s Justice 2007: A Team Approach” had over 500 attendees from 7 states and is the 4th Annual conference sponsored by the Tennessee Chapter of Children’s Advocacy Centers. TNCAC is a statewide membership organization that promotes the efforts of local Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) in the state of Tennessee by offering assistance to local CACs by: Coordinating and providing training, providing technical assistance and consultation, offering resources and funding.
There are currently 30 Child Advocacy Centers in Tennessee. These centers serve children who have been sexually abused or severely physically abused. CACs work collaboratively with over 185 law enforcement agencies and 28 of the 31 Judicial Districts. From July, 2006 – June 30, 2007, Tennessee Chapter member programs served more than 14,000 children in Tennessee. For more information, visit the Chapter website at www.tncac.org. Tennessee Chapter of Children’s Advocacy Centers - Nashville,TN 37210 - 615.327.9450
David Zoccola