Norwalk Fire Station Receives The First Safely Surrendered Newborn Of 2008

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce that a baby girl was safely surrendered at a fire station in the City of Norwalk this morning. This was the first safe surrender of 2008.

The newborn Hispanic female was surrendered this morning at Los Angeles County Fire Station 20 in Norwalk and was transported to Downey Community Hospital, where she is reported to be in good health. As is standard practice, the baby girl is in protective custody and will eventually be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

“I want to thank this newborn’s mother for doing the right thing,” said Supervisor Knabe. “We have a law on the books to protect babies from abandonment and give the mother a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands. It is our goal that 2008 will be the first year with no abandoned newborns.”

This is the first Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2008 and the sixty-third Safe Surrender since the program began six years ago. The program was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in 2001. It allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.