A concerning rise in tragedies involving children has caught the attention of local police.

“Specifically, this year, we have had more child deaths really in the first quarter than we’ve had in full years over the past,” said Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah.

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Chief Lorah said there’s already been a multitude of issues his department has responded to this year.

“We’ve had fires, we’ve had, you know, obviously, children that are overdosing on drugs,” said Chief Lorah. “We’ve had, you know, very, very small children, infants, you know, getting out of the house because you know their parents are in the throes of drug abuse.”

Child advocates said these situations often point to deeper challenges. Executive Director of the Erie County Office of Children and Youth, Mike Whitney, said recognizing contributing factors is the first step to prevention.

“Contributing factors, certainly, when we’re involved with OCY, are substance abuse,” said Whitney. “We also see societal bigger issues like just people being more individualistic nowadays. We’re connected via the internet but not in person, and it really does take a village to raise children.”

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Advocates said working towards solving these issues and keeping the children in our community safe are always a top priority.

“Any tragedy in Erie County is one tragedy too many, and we want to try to, as the Office of Children and Youth, protect every kid, right? Safety, Child permanency, and well-being are our main concerns,” said Whitney.

“These accidents, these tragedies happen in the blink of an eye so, you know, it’s just something that we’re always going to take a look at and something that we take very seriously,” said Chief Lorah.

Advocates said there is a variety of different resources for those who are struggling and to call if anyone notices signs of child neglect.

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