It’s estimated that 350,000 children are kidnapped by a parent every year. To try and combat this high number, one Missouri state representative wants to push a bill through the legislature that would give police officers more access to visitation and child custody agreements.
If passed, this new law would allow for Missouri police officers to access a full database of all visitation and child custody agreements between two parents, which means the law would affect not only noncustodial parents, but also custodial parents and those who share joint legal custody.
“Sam and Lindsey’s Law” reflects a tragic story that took place in 2004, when a parent kidnapped the two children and later killed them.
According to sources, the hope is that domestic violence situations and parental kidnapping would be deescalated sooner rather than later, as police could simply run a custody agreement when making routine stops.
Taking a look at this proposed law, one has to wonder if it would be mandatory for officers to always run a check, or if officers would only pull up the database if kidnapping or other illegal activities was suspected.
Either way — whether Sam and Lindsey’s Law is passed through the Missouri legislature or not — it is important for all parents to remember that while court room decisions can be unfavorable, breaking the law is not the way to go about getting custody of a child. In fact, breaking the law only further decreases the chance of a judge reviewing and making modifications to any existing child custody and/or visitation orders. And, like always, its best to keep a child’s best interest in mind before making an rash decisions.
Source: KSPR, “State Representative Supports Sam and Lindsey’s Law,” 18 Jan 2011
