Ask the Chief

No one starts a family with the intent of one day being divorced and then having to battle with a former spouse regarding child custody.

When a family falls apart, everyone is hurt and healing can take years. Sadly, these disputes often get to the point that law enforcement is called to mediate and restore some semblance of peace.

I want to make it very clear that law enforcement does not decide who "gets" the kids.

In addition, we won't make a child go with a parent even if it is their visitation "time".

One reason why is that law enforcement officers do not have access to the court file to verify the most recent court order.

We also don't want to make the situation worse by causing emotional harm to a child that is stuck in between two people who can't get along.

Our goal is to allow people to vent their frustrations and to direct them back to their attorney and the court if they feel that a court order is not being followed properly.

I encourage both parents to carefully document everything and to act and speak as if their actions will be reported to the court.

It’s always best to put the health and welfare of the child first and to settle any disputes in court.