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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2021)
JANUARY 8, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3 KeizerCommunity KEIZERTIMES.COM New interview room creates a softer setting for victims of Keizer crime BY MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes For the last three years, Proj- ect Beloved, a nonprofi t orga- nization in Texas, has partnered with multiple law enforcement agencies to install soft inter- view rooms in police stations at no cost to the department. The idea behind having a soft interview room is to make it easier and less traumatic for victims and witnesses to re- port on sensitive crimes. Project Be- loved has in- stalled numerous soft interview rooms for po- lice departments in the southern part of the country, but last month the nonprofi t renovated their fi rst soft interview room on the west coast at the Keizer Police Department (KPD). “Some of the core traits that Keizer Police looks for in of- fi cers are things like empathy and compassion. Using a more trauma-informed approach with people is putting those values into action,” said KPD detective Ben Howden said. Howden was the one who originally proposed that KPD create a soft interview room after attending a Forensic Ex- periential Trauma Interview (FETI) training in Portland last February. “The training is based on neuroscience and research around trauma and memo- ry recall. The way we talk to people to try to elicit memories, often memories from trauma, and the environ- ment they are in is very import- ant in helping facilitate some- one’s memory recall. It’s not just in how you phrase questions, it involves being in a comfort- able, soft, feeling space,” How- den said. During the week-long training, one of the attend- ees spoke about the import- ant work of Project Beloved, which motivated Howden to check out their website and get in contact with Tracy Mathe- son — who created Project Beloved after her daughter was sexually assaulted and mur- KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings Det. Ben Howden inside the Keizer Police Department’s “soft” interview room, a space designed to help victims of crime recount their experiences in a less intimidating atmosphere. The room is a gift from the non-profi t Project Beloved. dered in 2017. Howden wrote the proposal to add a soft interview room in March. Once KPD Chief John Teague got on board with the plan, Howden was able to con- vince Matheson to send out two of her employees to dec- orate the room. The two Project Beloved M emorial C enters ◆ C remation & B urial Simplicity - Convenience - Low Cost simple cremation simple direct burial church funeral ◆ $795 ◆ $995 ◆ $2965 staff members painted the in- terview room in soft yellow and decorated the walls with nature photography to honor Matheson’s deceased daughter, Molly — who had taken the photos. The room also features three comfortable chairs, fl o- rescent lights and a lamp — the project was completed on Dec. 11. “It’s very comfortable. It’s much less of a utilitarian feel- ing,” Howden said. Howden has been a detec- tive with KPD for the last 14 years, but has only recently de- veloped a passion for Trauma Informed Care (TIC) and the positive impacts it has to help victims tell their story, which in-turn, makes it easier for detectives to solve cases and catch criminals. “This is not only scientifi - cally backed, it makes a state- ment to victims of really dif- fi cult events that we are there for them and we’re going to create a soft, welcoming envi- ronment for them when they have to talk about some of the most diffi cult experiences of their life,” Howden said. “Tra- ditional interviewing methods can lead to secondary victim- ization for an individual who is recalling the experience. If they feel like they are be- ing badgered or berated with questions regarding something that was very diffi cult, then that can be extremely chal- lenging for that person emo- tionally and psychologically.” Howden has used the room only once since its creation and felt that the interaction was particularly successful. He believes that the room will get more usage when the COVID-19 pandemic slows down. “With COVID going on, we’re trying not to talk to people in constrained spaces like this. It will be interesting to see the difference it makes as COVID hopefully begins to settle down,” Howden said. “It puts everyone in the space in a different frame of mind. It’s a more of a nurtur- ing environment rather than seeking very specifi c answers. Dealing with people in a more sensitive and understanding way helps people to see we want to come alongside them.” puzzle answers Salem Portland Eastside 275 Lancaster Dr. SE Salem, OR 97317 832 NE Broadway Portland, OR 97232 1433 SE 122nd Ave. Portland, OR 97233 (503) 581-6265 (503) 783-3393 (503) 783-6865 Tualatin Tigard Milwaukie 8970 SW Tualatin Sherwood Rd. Tualatin, OR 97062 12995 SW Pacifi c Hwy Tigard, OR 97223 16475 SE McLoughlin Blvd. Milwaukie, OR 97267 (503) 783-6869 (503) 653-7076 (503) 885 -7800 “Easy Online Arrangements” CrownMemorialBurial.com Privately Owned Cremation Facility Family Owned – Family Focused WorshipDirectory These Salem-Keizer houses of worship invite you to visit. Call to list your church in our Worship Directory: (503) 390-1051 KEIZER COMMUNITY CHURCH 380 Churchdale Ave N (1 block West of Dutch Bros) 503 -393 - 0222 • KeizerCommunityChurch.com SUNDAY: Sermons can be found online at www.keizercommunitychurch.com WEDNESDAY: 6:30 pm Awana; Youth Group; Adults www.KeizerChristian.org
