Festa trains and educates parents, caregivers and children on signs of abuse

Each year, countless children become victims of abuse and neglect. It is a reality many ignore, but there are those individuals who work to protect and advocate for the most vulnerable.

Among them are law enforcement officers who investigate child abuse cases. These officers go beyond the call of duty to keep children safe and prevent further abuse or neglect.

Carl Festa received the Child Abuse Prevention Officer of the Year award for his work in 2023 as a senior agent with the Medway Drug Enforcement Agency. He was presented with a plaque at the 30th annual Child Abuse Prevention Month community event that took place at the Greystone Event Center in Wooster.

Festa couldn’t elaborate on specific cases, but his work with Medway means there are situations where drug-endangered children are in environments that create a severe risk to their physical and mental well-being due to caretakers being addicted to controlled substances or trafficking in controlled substances.

“I found my niche with narcotics investigations, which led me to work for Medway,” Festa said. “We are specifically tasked with investigating drug-related crimes. With that, some individuals we deal with have families. When we see that, we work as hard as possible with all the different agencies to remove those children from those dangerous situations. We move a little bit quicker when children are involved.”

Festa works proactively to prevent abuse from occurring by providing education and training to parents, caregivers and children on topics such as child safety, healthy relationships and recognizing the signs of abuse.

Festa said he is rewarded when he can help improve people’s lives and get them in a better place.

“Holding people accountable for their actions is one thing, but I have been around long enough that I am beginning to see the treatment side of things − seeing people get clean and providing a safe environment for their children is really beneficial to our agency,” he said. “We ultimately want to correct bad behavior and lead people down the right path.”

Celebrating unsung heroes like Festa is a way to show appreciation, inspire others and raise awareness about this critical issue.

“Agent Carl Festa exemplifies the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. His commitment to serving and protecting the citizens of Wayne County sets a benchmark of excellence,” said Deanna Nichols-Stika, executive director of the Wayne County Children Services board. “Through our partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, Wayne County Children Services has observed enhanced safety and protection for at-risk children, timely interventions in cases of abuse or neglect, and improved coordination in addressing complex family situations. The future of Wayne County Children Services is bright with promise. Through collaboration with partner agencies, we maintain our dedication to our mission to protect, preserve, and empower local families.”

Dan Starcher is the Public Communications coordinator for Wayne County.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Carl Festa is Wayne County Child Abuse Prevention Officer of the Year