Spring Grove Police
Department is a
Designated “Safe Haven”
Public Act 93-0820, amending The Abandoned Newborn
Infant Protection Act became effective on July 27, 2004.
The amendment requires police
stations to accept relinquished newborn infants. April
11, 2005 was designated “Save Abandoned Baby Day” in
Illinois and in recognition of that day, the Spring
Grove Police Department has placed a newly created sign
in the
entry of the Village of Spring Grove which designates
our location as a “Safe Haven” for abandoned babies.
A newborn infant is defined as a child that is
determined, by a licensed physician, to be 72 hours old
or less when it is relinquished. If there is no evidence
of abuse or neglect of the newborn infant, the
relinquishing person has a right to leave the police
station and not be pursued or followed. The officer
accepting the newborn infant must offer an information
packet and if possible, must clearly inform the
relinquishing person that his or her acceptance of the
information packet is completely voluntary. The
information packet contains the following forms;
- Illinois Adoption Registry
Application
- Birth Parent Registration
Identification
- Information Exchange
Authorization
- Illinois Adoption Registry
Medical Questionnaire
- Local Counseling Referral
List
- Denial of Information
Exchange Form
A new parent of parents can be
under severe emotional distress. This at times leads to
poor decisions regarding the newborn infant. There have
been instances where newborns have been abandoned in an
unsafe environment which causes injury or death to the
child. We want everyone to know that the Spring Grove
Police Department is a safe environment where a newborn
can be relinquished and the parent(s) can remain
anonymous if they choose and avoid any civil or criminal
liability for the act of relinquishing the infant.
