Child Safety Forum under Way at Westwood Baptist Church in Alabaster

By William Thornton
Birmingham News
January 22, 2012

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/01/child_safety_forum_under_way_i.html

Russell Bedsole of the Shelby County Sheriff's Department speaks on identifying predators as other panelists look on during a child safety forum at Westwood Baptist Church in Alabaster. (The Birmingham News/Jeff Roberts)

ALABASTER, Alabama -- About 100 people are attending a forum on child safety at Alabaster's Westwood Baptist Church this afternoon.

Several panelists spoke to attendees about signs to look for to spot child predators, how to talk to children about abuse and recognizing signs of abuse.

Daniel M. Acker Jr., suspected of multiple counts of child sex abuse, served as Westwood's youth minister from 1990 to 1994. None of the cases Acker has been charged with involved Westwood.

Russell Bedsole, with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, said child predators can come from every social class or income, and cases go vastly unreported. He said parents need to spend time with their children and ask questions.

Shannon Rumley, a member at Westwood and mother of two, said she had been victimized by a family member as a child, but spoke about it for the first time only five years ago.

"How does this keep happening? Because it's a topic we don't want to discuss," she said, her voice breaking.