Murray Police Department dedicates new Safe Haven baby box

The Murray Police Department on Tuesday became only the second law enforcement facility to host a Safe Haven baby box. It's the 51st unit installed in the state of Kentucky, and the one of 318 across the country.

A baby box is a place where a struggling parent can safely drop off their baby, anonymously. Babies can be legally surrendered up to 30 days old in the state of Kentucky. The box is an alternative to past tragic instances of infants being abandoned in unsafe conditions.

The box is an enclosed, temperature-controlled area that is installed along the police station’s outer wall. When a baby is placed into the bassinet inside the enclosure, an electronic alert system notifies emergency services so the baby can be quickly retrieved, taken to a local hospital and eventually placed into temporary foster care. 

Funding to purchase and install the baby box was provided by the Life House Care Center.

Last September, the same system was installed in Paducah at Fire Station 5 located at 714 Broadway.

The Safe Haven baby box was conceived by an Indiana firefighter and medic in 2015, after seeing a similar concept at a church in South Africa.