To All Members of the United States Congress:

The problem of child abuse and neglect continues to plague our nation. In 2010, there were nearly 700,000 confirmed victims of abuse or neglect nationwide, including 1,560 children who were killed as a result. The true number is actually significantly higher, since many incidents are never reported. Almost 80 percent of children who died from maltreatment in 2010 were under age 3 and almost half never reached their first birthday.

These numbers should shock the conscience of every American, including all members of Congress.

Child abuse and neglect also increases future crime. Survivors of abuse or neglect often carry emotional scars for life, and research has shown they are almost 30 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime. The cycle of abuse can also continue, with evidence suggesting that an estimated one third of adults with a history of abuse may harm their own children.

Research shows that investing in high-quality programs proven to prevent child abuse has a powerful impact on reducing later crime. The more than 5,000 law enforcement leaders and crime survivors of FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS nationwide know from the front lines against crime that child abuse is a serious public safety concern. We have launched a yearlong, national campaign to raise awareness of the devastating impact that child abuse and neglect has on our communities, and to draw attention to research-proven approaches to help prevent such tragedies.

Voluntary, evidence-based home visiting programs can help break the cycle of abuse and violence. Eligible families can receive these voluntary services to learn more about their child’s health, nutrition and physical, psychological and emotional development. One rigorous study of the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) found that participation in the program cut abuse and neglect among at-risk kids nearly in half. In addition, children of mothers who received NFP coaching had 60 percent fewer arrests by age 15 than children of similar mothers who were not coached. By age 19, children not in NFP had nearly three times as many convictions, concentrated among girls, as children from similar families who were not served.

These services also save money. A 2011 study of NFP by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy found NFP produced almost $21,000 in net savings per family served. Unfortunately, throughout the nation, there is still a significant unmet need for these services, which leaves more children at risk for abuse or neglect.

Each signature below represents one of us standing up for each of the 1,560 children who died from abuse or neglect in one year, and the hundreds of thousands more who suffer from abuse and neglect every year. We urge you to stand up for public safety by protecting and building upon current investments in voluntary, home visiting programs proven through research to stop the cycle of child abuse and neglect, reduce crime and violence and save money.

America can and must do more to prevent child abuse and neglect. From a fiscal, moral and public safety perspective, we have an obligation to invest in home visiting and protect children from the harm caused by abuse and neglect.

Louis Alagno
Chief of Police, Mount Pleasant

Steven Anderson
Chief of Police, Mount Kisco

W. Ross Annable
Chief of Police, Village of Barker

Brooks Baker
District Attorney, Steuben County

Louis G. Barbaria, Jr.
Chief of Police, Saugerties

Kevin Beach
Chief of Police, Rome

Miguel Bermudez
Chief of Police, Freeport

John Bielby
Captain, Rome Police Department

Patricia Bodnar
Husband, Alex, murdered, 1990, Monroe

Kevin J. Boehme
Chief of Police, Village of Chatham

Ronald A. Boisvert, Jr.
Chief of Police, Watervliet

John Brogan
Chief of Police, Scarsdale Village

Richard A. Brown
District Attorney, Queens County

Scott W. Brown
Chief of Police, Tarrytown

Jon E. Budelmann
District Attorney, Cayuga County

John P. Burns
Sheriff, Jefferson County

Emil Califano
Chief of Police, Village of Ardsley

Gregory J. Camp
Chief of Police, Sleepy Hollow

Michael Capobianco
Chief of Police, Centre Island Village

Richard P. Carey
Deputy Director, New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, Inc.

Robert M. Carney
District Attorney, Schenectady County

D. Holley Carnright
District Attorney, Ulster County

Jeffrey Carpenter
District Attorney, Herkimer County

Michael P. Carpinelli
Sheriff, Lewis County

F. Michael Catalano
Chief of Police, City of Cortland

Michael P. Cerone
Chief of Police, Village of Irvington

Derek P. Champagne
District Attorney, Franklin County

John Chella
Superintendent, Niagara Falls City

David E. Chong
Commissioner of Public Safety, City of White Plains

Ronald Cicoria
Acting District Attorney, Livingston County

James Conboy
District Attorney, Montgomery County

Barbara Connelly
Survivor of Violence, Shirley

Jason L. Cook
District Attorney, Yates County

Louis G. Corsi
Chief of Police, Bethlehem

John Costanzo
Chief of Police, Village of Tuckahoe

Raymond Culver
Chief of Police, Harriman Village

Timmy J. Currier
Chief of Police, Massena

Richard Cutting
Sheriff, Essex County

Paul Czajka
District Attorney, Columbia County

Robert M. D’Angelo
Chief of Police, North Castle

Dominic Dagostino
Sheriff, Schenectady County

Frances Davis
Survivor of Violence

Raymond E. Dean
Chief of Police, Westhampton Beach

Gregg DeLuca
Chief of Police (Ret.), Little Falls

Vincent F. DeMarco
Sheriff, Suffolk County

Randy M. Diamond
Chief of Police, Village of Hudson Falls

Janet DiFiore
District Attorney, Westchester County

Donald Dobby Jr.
Chief of Police, Village of Amityville

Daniel Doellinger
Chief of Police, Town of Chester

Daniel Donovan, Jr.
District Attorney, Richmond County

Sandra Doorley
District Attorney, Monroe County

Daniel Duggan
Chief of Police, Old Westbury

Nicole Duve
District Attorney, St. Lawrence County

Sean Egan
Chief of Police, 5th Judicial District

Lawrence M. Eggert
Chief of Police, City of Lockport

Barbara Falcone-Quonce
Deputy Mayor, Village of East Syracuse

Christopher Farber
Sheriff, Herkimer County

James Farrell
District Attorney, Sullivan County

Joseph G. Fazzary
District Attorney, Schuyler County

William Fitzpatrick
District Attorney, Onondaga County

David Foley
District Attorney, Chautauqua County

Kristine Francey
Victim Witness Coordinator, Cayuga County

Eric F. Fredenburg
Chief of Police, Village of Lowville

Lawrence Friedman
District Attorney, Genesee County

Peter Frisoni
Chief of Police, Village of Scotia

William Gabor
District Attorney, Madison County

John Garbedian
Chief of Police, Village of Great Neck Estates

Charles Gardner
Police Commissioner, Yonkers

Edward Gehen
Chief of Police, Town of West Seneca

Charles Gennario
Commissioner of Police, Rockville Centre

Joseph Gerace
Sheriff, Chautauqua County

Gary Giannotta
Chief of Police, Auburn

Gerald Gill
Chief of Police, Lancaster

Janice Grieshaber Geddes
Daughter, Janice, murdered, 1997, Manlius

James Hamilton
Chief of Police, Rotterdam City

David Harrison, Jr.
Sheriff, Columbia County

Elizabeth Healy
Assistant District Attorney, Madison County

Steven H. Heider
Chief of Police, Colonie

Mark T. Henderson
Chief of Police, Brighton

William Heslin
Chief of Police, City of Cohoes

Kate Hogan
District Attorney, Warren County

Gary Howard
Sheriff, Tioga County

Thomas Howley
Chief of Police, Town of North Salem

Charles “Joe” Hynes
District Attorney, Kings County

Cindy Intschert
District Attorney, Jefferson County

Kevin Judd
Chief of Police, South Glens Falls Village

Gerald Keene
District Attorney, Tioga County

William Kilfoil
Chief of Police, Port Washington

Ronald J. Knapp
Chief of Police, City of Poughkeepsie

Stanley Knutowicz, Jr.
Chief of Police, Sodus Point Village

Ronald Krowka
Chief of Police, Village of East Aurora/Town of Aurora

Carl J. LaCorte
Chief of Police, Kenmore Village

John Laird
Chief of Police, Village of Arcade

Bill Lang
Chief of Police, Lake Success

Kenneth Lansing
Sheriff, Tompkins County

Carol J. Lawlor
Chief of Police, Guilderland

Michael W. Lefancheck
Chief of Police, Baldwinsville Village

Adam L. Levy
District Attorney, Putnam County

Richard Love
Chief of Police, Pleasantville

Gary Maha
Sheriff, Genesee County

Joseph Malone
Chief of Police, Herkimer

Anthony Marraccini
Chief of Police, Harrison

Joseph McBride
District Attorney, Chenango County

Richard McNally
District Attorney, Rensselaer County

Scott McNamara
District Attorney, Oneida County

David R. Meeker, Sr.
Chief of Police, City of Oneida

James L. Michel, Jr.
Chief of Police, Lackawanna City

Thomas E. Mills
Sheriff, Delaware County

Gerald Mollen
District Attorney, Broome County

Donald Morris
Chief of Police, East Syracuse

Leanne Moser
District Attorney, Lewis County

John Muehl
District Attorney, Otsego County

Kevin Mulverhill
Sheriff, Franklin County

James A. Murphy, III
District Attorney, Saratoga County

Jeffrey Murphy
Sheriff, Washington County