Sheriff's office starts pinwheel garden
Apr. 6—On Monday, the Ector County Sheriff's Office started its pinwheel garden in its courtyard for Child Abuse Prevention Month.
ECSO is encouraging its staff and the public to place a pinwheel in its garden throughout April.
Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said he wants to protect children and put an end to child abuse.
"We want to be heard loud and clear that child abuse is not acceptable," he said. "If there's a child that is abused in whatever way and we find out about it, we will turn over every stone until we can put that actor in jail for the abuse of a child."
The pinwheel garden at ECSO was formed in conjunction with Harmony Home Children's Advocacy Center in Odessa.
Griffis said victims of child abuse shouldn't be afraid to speak out against their abusers as he ensured he would exhaust all available law enforcement agencies' resources to ensure the safety of the children or other complainants that speak out against abusers.
"My message to those who are in fear of retaliation or they feel they are in danger if they report abuse that we will take every effort to protect the well-being of those individuals that report child abuse," he said. "It takes a lot of courage to do that at times, because the actor is someone they know or someone they love or someone they trust. It's their obligation and it's the law to report child abuse."
In addition to the pinwheels, ECSO is asking people to wear blue on Friday to show support for child abuse awareness.
