The room is warmly lit, the chairs are comfortable, and a soothing lavender aroma fills the air. A round mirror hangs on the wall, making the space feel more open.
Muted colors and nature photography offer a welcoming feel.
This could easily be mistaken for a cozy living room, or perhaps even a therapist’s office, but it’s not. This room is inside the San Angelo Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Unit.
That may come as a surprise, especially if what you imagine when you think of a police interview room is something more like an episode of Law and Order – an empty space, incessantly flickering fluorescent lights, metal chairs bolted to the floor, a two-way mirror, and, of course, a table with a menacing anchor for handcuffs.
For many, those rooms represent a place of interrogation. But not everyone who sits in an interview room is there because they committed a crime.
Some are there because they have been victimized.
That’s why, down a quiet hallway here, there is a Soft Interview Room that offers a different kind of space for survivors.
Bigger Than San Angelo
This room is part of a national movement started by Tracy Matheson with Project Beloved, a nonprofit she founded in honor of her daughter, Molly Jane, who was raped and murdered in 2017.
Project Beloved has worked to create Soft Interview Rooms all across the U.S., each one designed with trauma-informed care in mind.
In February 2024, San Angelo proudly joined that powerful network through a partnership between the SAPD and Open Arms Advocacy Center.
Project Beloved provided the design and other thoughtful elements that continue to make the space feel safe and comforting to survivors of violent crimes.
Why Soft Matters
Let’s be honest — it’s not always easy to be soft in West Texas.
This is a place where pride and determination are revered.
We admire toughness, and we tend to carry our struggles alone while expecting others to do the same. But behind that tough exterior, we also have big ol’, Texas-sized hearts, and we care about our neighbors.
San Angelo’s Soft Interview Room is a clear reflection of our growth as a community and our care for those around us. It represents our desire to do more than loudly proclaim our differing points of view – we also want to listen.
We want to hear our neighbors.
It’s a space designed for centering the voices of survivors; for making sure those in our community who have been violated and hurt feel seen rather than judged.
In rooms like this, law enforcement officers work to build trust, and trust is foundational in healing.
Making Things Better
The truth is, for too long a time, victims were interviewed in the same sterile, intimidating rooms as the very suspects in their cases.
These conditions often retraumatize people, leaving them to feel discouraged by the system, and less likely to fully disclose their assault.
This is especially true with sexually violent crimes, as the stigma is still strong surrounding these types of assaults, and victim blaming is ever-present in our world today.
During times of extreme stress, when the body and brain enter the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode, survivors are less likely to speak openly or recall details consecutively or clearly. That affects not only healing but also their chance to pursue justice.
Trauma-informed spaces, on the other hand, can provide a sense of emotional safety, leading to more accurate memory recall. These rooms aren’t just “nice to have”. They are a must-have, and they are more effective in the long run.
Organizations like End Violence Against Women International and the Office for Victims of Crime have long advocated for this shift, and here in San Angelo, the shift is beginning to take shape.
A Moment That Changes Everything
As a Victim Advocate and a survivor myself, I have seen firsthand what happens when someone finally feels safe enough to speak. The moment a survivor feels heard and realizes that they are not being blamed is remarkably moving. That moment is often the first step to true healing.
We can’t and shouldn’t force someone to share their story, but we can create a space where they feel safe and empowered to do so on their own.
The soft interview room does just that. It replaces coldness with warmth and welcome. It returns a sense of control to people in our community who have had it taken from them. And that can undoubtedly make all the difference.
What This Says About San Angelo
National news right now is a loud, confusing, sometimes overwhelming thing. Politics often feels like a shouting match. In this noise, it is easy to lose sight of what’s right in front of us.
Projects like this one are important because they remind us that local action matters. That a city’s values are reflected not just in what it says (or how loudly it says it), but in how it treats its most vulnerable.
San Angelo has shown that we are more than capable of moving beyond resilience. We are truly capable of compassion and care. We’re capable of change.
Even in a region known for rugged independence, we are not afraid to create these sacred spaces for softness.
Maybe this room isn’t just a room. Maybe it’s a lantern in the dark – not just for survivors, but for all of us.
Maybe it’s a reflection of what it means to be a true, proud West Texan – not just strong, but empathetic. Not just building fences – but building community.
That’s who we really are. That’s humanity. And I believe that’s a version of West Texas worth leaning into.
Sources
San Angelo Police Department
End Violence Against Women International
Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) U.S. Department of Justice
Chrysanthemum works as an advocate for victims through the Open Arms Advocacy Center, and serves on the San Angelo Animal Services Advisory Board.
She has extensive experience working for several different non-profit agencies, and by being directly involved in several efforts, including working for our homeless and disadvantaged neighbors, and is on a mission to use her lived experiences to help others.
