Diane Obbema
Diane Obbema was born in Southern California and moved to Colorado in 1981. In 1985 she began a 30-year career in law enforcement with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. She served 12 years in the Crimes Against Children Unit as a highly decorated detective, and for 14 years instructed law enforcement academies in child abuse investigations. Diane played a key role in the Columbine High School shootings investigation; and was lead investigator in the nationally covered "rebirthing" death of a child in therapy. Diane's devotion to service and passion to protect children is evident as she speaks on the topic of child safety to a wide variety of groups.
Protecting Innocence
Every parent wants to protect their child from harm, but is there a way to prepare young children to be safe from sexual abuse without frightening them or damaging their innocence? Detective Diane Obbema offers critical choices parents can make to fortify the protective boundaries around thier children in her new book, Protecting Innocence.
By using illustrations from her real-life cases, Detective Obbema makes a powerful impression on parents to help them understand what happens inside a child's heart and mind when pressured by an offender. Parents learn where children are vulnerable to molesters and practical steps to thwart potential exploitation. Parents learn the power they have to foster respect for the human body within the home, and what negative influences they will need to confront.
Protecting Innocence offers actual scripts for parent-child conversations to help parents feel comfortable in addressing topics many of them avoid. These conversations help build a foundation of trust and openness between parent and child. This greater security gives a child confidence to talk with his or her parent any time... about anything.