Rockwall County installs first Safe Haven Baby Box to give parents a safe, anonymous option
In Rockwall County, parents in crisis now have a new, anonymous option to safely surrender a newborn. A Safe Haven Baby Box is officially in place at the McLendon‑Chisholm fire station, designed to protect the most vulnerable.
McLendon‑Chisholm Fire Chief Eddie Stough has answered countless calls, and he says some never leave you. For him, it's responding to an abandoned baby found in a dumpster. The baby did not survive.
"As a parent, seeing my kids, I can't imagine a baby being put in that position that I went through in the past," he said. "After the fact is when it really starts to hit you that this mother felt like she had no other choice."
Stough says Safe Haven Baby Boxes offer an additional choice.
Safe Haven Law and growing use
Nationwide, more than 70 babies have been safely surrendered in them. Under the Safe Haven Law, parents can legally surrender a baby under 60 days old at a designated safe place.
For the first time in Texas, a baby box was used earlier this month in Lubbock and then again just days later in Abilene.
"So when people know about them, we can have these babies safely put in these boxes," Rockwall County Commissioner John Stacy said.
Local leaders push for installation
When Stacy learned about the baby boxes, he knew he had to push for them locally. He called McLendon‑Chisholm Mayor Bryan McNeal, and together—through private donations—they were able to purchase one.
"Any time you have an opportunity to save lives, then that's just what we should be doing," McNeal said. "You're providing light and hope for that child."
How the baby box works
Stough says the baby boxes are simple to use and are placed behind a privacy fence. Once the baby is safely inside, an alarm will sound after about 60 seconds.
"We have an automatic response that's built for staff here at the fire department, EMS, which would be Rockwall EMS, and CPS," Stough said. "So, automatically, those three entities would be notified. We're trying to do everything we can to give that child a future that they may not have otherwise."
He hopes they'll never have to use it, but if the day comes, they'll be ready.