North Ridgeville Police partners with nonprofit, debuts "soft interview room" for sexual assault survivors

North Ridgeville police have announced the opening of a "soft interview room" designed to be a comforting environment for survivors of sexual assault. The department posted on Facebook that the room was made possible through Project Beloved, a nonprofit organization that empowers survivors. The goal of the transformation is to bring warmth to an area that will be used exclusively for victims and intentionally designed to be a comforting environment during the reporting process. The nonprofit was founded by Tracy Matheson, mother of 22-year-old Molly Jane, who was raped and murdered in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2017. Matheson founded Project Beloved after the murder, with one of its initiatives being to transform police department interview rooms across the country into "softer" spaces for victims to share details about traumatic experiences. The room at North Ridgeville police includes different furniture, lighting and photo canvasses from amateur photographer Megan Getrum, who was murdered by the same offender who killed Molly Jane. "The North Ridgeville Police Department would like to thank Project Beloved," the post read. "It was a pleasure to work with Tracy, and to learn more about their story and mission." To learn more about Project Beloved, visit www.projectbeloved.org/.