The Child Abuse Unit (CAU) of the Baltimore County police currently consists of four teams of two detectives each who are specially trained and participate in each stage of a child abuse investigation. Teams are able to handle the highly complex details of these cases rapidly but thoroughly, can operate more effectively and safely than lone officers in dangerous domestic violence interventions, and work without uniforms to be less threatening. The CAU also sensitizes other police personnel to child abuse cases and abusive families. Since one of its goals is to preserve families, CAU does not prosecute abusive parents unless injuries to the children are serious or abuse seems chronic. However, the final decision for prosecution rests with the States Attorney. The involvement of police officers in child abuse cases is said to motivate parents to cooperate with social services and participate in needed counselling. CAU is designed to cooperate as much as possible with social services to minimize duplication of efforts and investigations; moreover, records are similar in both agencies to promote communication. Social services and CAU confer to decide how the police officers will investigate a particular case, and which agency should initiate investigations. CAU participates in child abuse public education and sponsors conferences for professionals.