Handle With Care for Law Enforcement – Handle With Care: Missouri

An Announcement for Missouri Law Enforcement Agencies

1. Determine Whether Children Are Present

Name
Age
Relationship to parties
School/Child Care Agency
Demeanor
Present during incident?
Physically harmed

2. Health & Safety Checks on Children

Visual Observation
Asking the Child
Determine if Treatment is Necessary
Mandated Reporting to CPS

3. Talking With Children About the Incident

4. Avoid Interviewing Witnesses in the Presence of Children

5. Follow-up Interviews

6. Documentation – Child’s name, age and school/agency should be documented by the responding officer.

7. Avoid Subduing or Arresting Someone in the Presence of Children

8. Separating Children from the Care Giving Parent/Guardian

9. Resources; Provide parent/guardian information:

Child Advocacy Centers
Victim Resources
DCI Coordinator

Reference: West Virginia Model Protocol: Law Enforcement On Scene Response to Domestic Violence When Children Are Present

10. Daily Review of Reports

Reports will be reviewed each morning by the law enforcement agency.
A “Handle With Care” notice will be generated for each child listed in each report.
A designee at the law enforcement agency will ensure the “Handle With Care” notice is promptly forwarded to the designated school official (via cell, fax, text or phone).

11. Quarterly Defending Childhood Initiative Team Meeting.

At least quarterly, key DCI stakeholders will review and evaluate DCI and make recommendations for improvement as necessary.

Law Enforcement
School
Advocates
Counselors
Case workers
Community partners
Parents
Head Start
Before and After School Programs
Child Care Agencies
Others

The Team will assess the following to determine the effectiveness of DCI: academic achievements; truancies; and disciplinary reports. The meeting will not focus on specific cases.