April 21, 2004
Trenton, NJ — Detective Tracey McKeown was recently presented the 2004 New Jersey Child Assault Prevention (CAP) Award for Law Enforcement at an awards luncheon held at the Trenton Marriott. Each year, NJ CAP recognizes people around the state who have worked as tireless advocates for child abuse prevention.
McKeown was nominated by Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. and selected by a 12-person subcommittee of the NJ CAP Advisory Board. According to Pat Stanislaski, executive director of the NJ CAP Regional Training Center, “Nominations for the various categories were reflective of the entire state and represented well-known child advocates as well as what one nominator called ‘the unsung, common people.’”
Since 1985, more than one million children and 250,000 parents and teachers have participated in CAP’s abuse prevention workshops. Each year, the NJ CAP sponsors a luncheon to honor those who have made the prevention of child abuse a priority in their lives. By recognizing their efforts, Stanislaski said, “we send a message to our state and to our nation – children are, indeed, our most precious resource.”
McKeown has been a detective with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office for 14 years and has been assigned to the Child Abuse/Sexual Assault Unit the entire time. A February 1990 graduate of the state Division of Criminal Justice Basic Course for Investigators, she also received a bachelor’s degree in business from Curry College in Milton, Mass.
“Tracey is one the most wonderful people you will ever meet and the anchor of this unit,” said Assistant Prosecutor Robin Scheiner, chief of the Child Abuse/Sexual Assault Unit. “Everyone in this office respects her and knows that if they need help, any time of the day or night, Tracey will be there for them. When she gets a case that is difficult, complicated and emotionally draining, she will not let it go until the offender is prosecuted and the victim helped and supported.”