Statement in Response to Channel 12 News Report regarding Taylor Ray Freeman

PHOENIX (Thursday, February 2, 2017) –This statement is to clarify our position regarding Taylor Ray Freeman being charged with possession of child pornography while in the employment of a group home paid by DCS to provide care.

Brahm Resnik implied in his report on February 1st that The Department of Child Safety has done nothing in this case. Specifically, a quoted individual implied we have “shoved it under the rug.” There is a clear difference between not commenting publicly and doing nothing.

We can assure the public that all appropriate measures have been and are being taken to ensure the safety of the children in this home.  However, we cannot comment further. There are often times DCS would like to comment regarding suspected criminal activity, especially regarding the abuse or neglect of children. However, doing so would compromise an active investigation and subsequent prosecution. We also must always be mindful of federal and state confidentiality requirements.

The Department of Child Safety has a specialized area called the Office of Child Welfare Investigations which was established exclusively to jointly investigate felony crimes against children by a parent or guardian, with law enforcement.  We want the public to rest assured that we move swiftly when arrests like this happen to ensure child safety.

Over 70% of sexual abuse survivors never report the crime. This means the majority of sex offenders remain undetected. For this reason, we replied for comment to Mr. Resnik yesterday with the following statement in its entirety: “Any time, anywhere suspected child abuse (including pornography) is surfaced and prosecuted, we are grateful and consider it a win for the children and families we serve. The reality we face as a community is that indeed, child predators walk among all of us.”