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Denver Agencies Sign Child Abuse Case Guidelines

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Dec 18, 2008 12:05 pm US/Mountain

Denver Agencies Sign Child Abuse Case Guidelines

Reporting
Michelle Griego
DENVER (CBS4) ― Denver law enforcement officials signed Thursday a new protocol for responding to child abuse cases and children exposed to drugs.

District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said out of the almost 9,000 felony cases submitted last year, nearly 3,000 were drug related. More than 600 of those cases involved crack cocaine. More than 200 involved meth.

Morrissey said in many cases, children are exposed.

"We have examples of people that have been selling drugs, been making drugs with as young as one-year-olds in the home," he said.

The new protocol is incentive for quick action to ensure the safety of children.

The protocol includes a special section outlining the most efficient ways to respond to children exposed to drugs when they are taken from a home.

Morrissey, the Denver Police Department, Denver Health and Human Services all signed the protocol.

The agencies have always worked together, but the changes will make sure all of them are following the same guidelines.

"We need to make sure that we're getting kids out of these situations, into the appropriate hands and the kind of care that they need," Morrissey said.

He added that bringing child abuse to the forefront is also a community effort. The police department relies heavily on neighbors, family members and friends to report abuse if they see it.

The National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children may use Denver's protocol as a national model to be used for training.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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