NCJ Number
110457
Date Published
1987
Length
37 pages
Annotation
This pamphlet describes law enforcement's role in community-wide efforts to fight child abuse, with attention to five child protective police functions: identification, reporting, investigations, protective custody, and arrests.
Abstract
Identification guidelines describe injuries with telltale characteristics that distinguish them from the expected injuries of childhood and strongly suggest physical abuse. A checklist is provided to help police officers determine whether to accept a parent's explanation of suspicious injuries and decide whether corporal punishment was reasonable. The pamphlet discusses evidence needed for suspecting abuse or neglect and liability for failing to report. Common grounds for making a report based on direct and circumstantial evidence are listed. Situations requiring police involvement are explained: assisting child protective agencies when their staff or a child may be endangered, interviewing children, and preserving physical evidence. Guidelines regarding protective custody address removing the child from the home both with a court order and in emergencies. Charts outline situations suggesting the need for protective custody and conditions requiring immediate medical attention. Finally, the pamphlet discusses conditions that suggest the need to arrest a parent. 17 references.