A new initiative developed by A Child's Place at Mercy Hospital should help teach police officers how to properly respond to child abuse calls, even as they drive to the crime scene.

The "Cop Car" project, created over the past year and unveiled Wednesday at the Ross police station, has established a new Web site which officers can access on their laptop computers. It briefly outlines the procedures police must follow when responding to a report of child abuse.

Child abuse calls are some of the most challenging that local police officers face, said Joan Mills, manager of A Child's Place, a program to evaluate abuse victims.

"It's a pretty frightening call for them, because many of these municipalities don't deal with these calls that much," Ms. Mills said. "Oftentimes, the police officers don't know exactly what to do, and honest mistakes are made."

Those mistakes can have disastrous consequences, hampering the prosecution of alleged child abusers and stalling the progression of cases through the courts, she said.

Officers whose cars do not have laptop computers will be provided with double-sided, laminated cards that summarize the proper response. A simplified form for reporting child abuse cases has also been produced.

The "Cop Car" initiative, developed in consultation with the Allegheny County District Attorney's office, is the first of its kind in the United States, Ms. Mills said.

"Our primary goal is to give our police officers, who do a tremendous job, one more tool to fight child abuse," she said.