MDT Highlight – Detective Michael G. Zontini
October 19, 2020
The impact and support children and families receive at Children’s Cove is only possible by our partnership and collaboration with committed members of what we call the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). They are the professionals who often work behind the scenes, and rarely get the attention or credit they deserve. Most of the time they don’t want it, choosing to work silently and diligently protecting and serving our children.
Detective Michael G. Zontini
High Risk / Special Victims Detective
Yarmouth Police Department (YPD)
Detective Zontini is in his 26th year of law enforcement and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration. Detective Zontini specializes in investigations involving crimes against children, disabled persons, and adult sexual assaults. Detective Zontini currently serves on the Massachusetts Governor’s Council to address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence; with a specific focus on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Human Trafficking.
“It’s a privilege and a responsibility to give a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
Detective Zontini, a former field training officer and a former member of the Cape Cod Regional Law Enforcement SWAT Team, regularly attends conferences and trainings to stay ahead of the curve in special investigations and responses to special victims. He is also part of the YPD’s Mental Health Outreach Team. In 2019, Detective Zontini was the recipient of the YPD’s Officer of the Year Award.
Detective Zontini’s ability to connect to the survivors he supports is unparalleled. Detective Zontini treats every victim and every situation, as “a privilege and a responsibility to give a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, or those who are too afraid to speak for themselves.”
Detective Zontini says success for him is “when I can accomplish two specific goals: that our team conducts a victim-centered, trauma-informed investigation that results in the child victim having the best possible physical and emotional outcomes. This extends to the child victim’s caregivers as they have been faced with the unthinkable. Secondly, that the investigation results in the apprehension of the perpetrators of these crimes, who are held accountable during the judicial process so children cannot be victimized again.”
