Whenever possible, these interviews take place in what is referred to as a “soft interview room,” which is geared towards making the survivor feel more comfortable and at ease.  Last week, Southlake PD’s soft interview room received a special makeover, thanks to SPD Crime Analyst and Crime Victim’s Liaison, Diana Smith, and the non-profit foundation “Project Beloved.”

As one of their primary initiatives to support survivors of violent crimes, Project Beloved provides interview room makeovers to police departments across the state to transform the environment into a more welcoming and comfortable space for investigators to meet and speak with survivors. The furnishings, lighting, and artwork used to soften the space are provided at no cost to the agency through donations received by the foundation. 

Diana learned about Project Beloved and the story of its founder, Tracy Matheson, while training at a crime victim services conference last year.  Ms. Matheson’s daughter, Molly Jane, was sexually assaulted and murdered by a former boyfriend in Fort Worth in 2017.  At the time, investigators were unaware that Molly Jane’s attacker was a person of interest in several sex assaults in other cities across Texas. He had not been charged in those offenses, and Texas law enforcement agencies had no consistent process to compare similar sexual assault crimes that occurred within the state and the United States.  Ultimately, Molly Jane’s killer went on to sexually assault and murder another woman 9 days later.

Ms. Matheson’s work through the state legislative process resulted in the creation of H.B. 3106, also known as “Molly Jane’s Law”, which requires Texas law enforcement agencies to enter vital information and details about sexual assault offenses into the FBI’s national database known as the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, or ViCAP.  This important tool provides investigators the ability to search for similarities in offenses nationwide, and it allows them to link sexual assaults to a particular offender, based on characteristics of the assault.

Ms. Matheson was present at police headquarters last week to officially “open” the Department’s updated soft interview room.  We are grateful to Southlake PD’s Crime Victim Liaison, Diana Smith, and Project Beloved for their work and collaboration to create a more calm and peaceful space for Southlake officers to interact with survivors during some of their most difficult moments.

Of special note:  The artwork used in each of Project Beloved's makeovers holds special meaning and is provided by the family of Megan Gertrum, another victim of Molly Jane's assailant. Gertrum was an amateur photographer, and her prints serve as a silent, but prominent pledge to seek justice for victims and survivors of violent crimes.