State child welfare officials say they've received more than twice the usual number of suspected child abuse reports in the wake of sex abuse charges against former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky.
The state Department of Public Welfare tells The Altoona Mirror the department received 4,832 reports of suspected abuse in the week of November 5, the day Sandusky was charged.
Spokeswoman Carey Miller says the department usually gets about 2,300 reports per week.
Miller says the publicity surrounding Sandusky's case is "making people more alert."
The Mirror report says some of the calls are from people reporting they were abused in the past. They are being referred to law enforcement.
Callers reporting suspected current abuse are being referred to the child protective agencies in their counties.
