OTTUMWA, IOWA -- In the wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal; KTVO wanted find out exactly who in southeast Iowa is considered a mandatory reporter and what you need to look out for when suspecting abuse.
In speaking with Ottumwa Police Chief Jim Clark Thursday; Chief Clark informed KTVO that teachers, or anyone that works within the school(s) is considered a mandatory reporter. Other mandatory reporters include physicians, police officers and day care providers.
Chief Clark explained three important warning signs that everyone should be made aware of when suspecting child abuse.
The first is if a child tells you that they are being abused. Never take what they are saying lightly or as a joke, and report it to law enforcement officials immediately.
The second warning sign is if the child has bruises or marks on their body. If a child does not want to tell you where they got the bruise or mark from, they could be hiding something such as abuse.
The final warning sign and the most important according to Chief Clark, is if a child starts to talk about adult behaviors.
“This is a real important one, is if a child starts talking about different sexual acts, or just talks about sex in general at an age when that is not normal, or should not normally know those things. That is an indication that they have been around it,” said Chief Clark.
When reporting abuse, you can remain anonymous. However, in doing so, if law enforcement needs more information and they can’t get it from their informant, their investigation becomes more complicated.
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