County Council Wants Details on Unattended Child Policies

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The issue of Silver Spring parents Alexander and Danielle Meitiv – who have run afoul of Child Protective Services for letting their children walk to the park alone – has Montgomery County elected officials searching for answers.

Montgomery County Council President George Leventhal said at his Monday press briefing that he and Council member Marc Elrich have asked for details on response procedures when authorities receive reports about an unattended child.

The questions were posed last week to Police Chief Thomas Manger and Health and Human Services Director Uma Ahluwalia, reports Montgomery Community Media.

Leventhal told reporters they want to know procedures govern such situations and what discretion is given to police and CPS workers when the public reports unattended children. Authorities have received three reports of the Meitiv children walking alone since November, with the most recent call prompting the siblings to be held by police, then CPS, for about five hours.

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The situation has struck a chord with county residents, Leventhal said.

“On both sides of the issue individuals feel like their own parenting choices are somehow being criticized, either folks who monitor their children closely at all times, or those who don’t, and so people are reacting very personally and with some heat,” he said

Among the questions Leventhal and Elrich have asked are: “What are the requirements for a Police Department response when a call reporting an unattended child is received through 911?” Other questions include, “If a police officer encounters an unattended child, may a police officer use his or her discretion to call a parent or guardian directly?” and, “Once Child Protective Services has been contacted by a police officer, which agency has authority the Police Department or Child Protective Services?”

Police were called April 12 when Rafi, 10, and Dvora, 6, walked home alone from a Silver Spring park. The siblings were picked up by Montgomery County Police a couple blocks from home about 5 p.m. and turned over to the Child Protective Service, authorities said. Danielle says the children were released to their parents at 10:30 that night.

The county agency in February determined that Danielle and Alexander Meitiv had committed unsubstantiated neglect of their children for an earlier unsupervised trek to the park.