CLEVELAND — Just a few weeks into his retirement, Ken Vagase returned to a place he spent a lot of time at the last five years of his 30-year career with the North Olmsted Police Department.
"As an investigator, you find ways to cope with the things that you learn," said Vagase.
Many of the cases Vagase worked on involved abused children.
"The biggest challenge is just getting a connection with the child," said Vagase.
Vagase did his best to build a rapport.
"I would sit and play PlayDoh, we would color, I wouldn't wear a suit or tie, I would wear a SpongeBob shirt," said Vagase.
However, conducting interviews inside a sterile police station hindered the detective’s best efforts.
"It's not the place where people want to be, even kids recognize that," said Vagase.
Vagase said that presented challenges dealing with a system that can be cumbersome.
"Not only for law enforcement but for the kids and their families as well," said Vagase.
Enter Cleveland's Canopy Child Advocacy Center.
"The Canopy Center has made it way more efficient than it ever was before," said Vagase.
The non-profit organization is a one-stop shop for abused children and their families.
"For some kids, this is the worst story of their entire lives," said Jennifer Johnson, executive director at the Canopy Child Advocacy Center.
A victim that visits the Canopy Child Advocacy Center only needs to share those horrific details once.
A pair of forensic interview rooms, each equipped with a microphone, cameras, and a writable table capture a child's story which is shared with the investigating agencies.
Without Canopy, on average, a child must share what happened to them more than a dozen times.
"If we can minimize the victimization of the child, because each time they got to talk about it, they're being victimized again," said Vagase.
The space was specifically designed with children in mind.
"We wove it into everything that we do, because it's what makes or breaks a kid’s experience here,” said Johnson.
In addition to those critical interviews, the center also provides medical services in its own exam room, which also helps lead to better outcomes not only for the child.
Vagase said the environment provided him with the information that helped bring perpetrators to justice.
"Child Advocacy Centers have a 94% conviction rate for cases when they go through the prosecution system," said Johnson.
Part of that success is the efficiency the center provides since everything is all under one roof.
"Getting information whether it's from the social workers, or from the doctors that are involved in the exams," said Vagase.
Right now, because of a lack of funding, the Canopy Center can only serve children from newborn to 12 that experience sexual abuse and human trafficking.
Johnson said it is very disheartening to know that there are children out there that need help but can’t access their services.
That’s why Ken Vagase is doing what he can to raise awareness and funding for an organization focused on promoting health and healing for children who have experienced the unimaginable.
"The minute those kids walk in this door, everything changes for them in a positive way whether they recognize it or not, better things are to come," said Vagase.
News 5 confirmed "Project Beloved," a Texas non-profit, will create a "soft" interview room in the North Olmsted Police Department in August.
The transformed space will have new furniture, artwork, aromatherapy, and weighted blankets.
We’re told it will be a more conducive space for both children and adults to share their stories.
"Finally, we're getting to that point where they're committing to that because it makes a huge difference," said Vagase.
North Olmsted is one of the first departments in Northeast Ohio to work with "Project Beloved."
