title
Commissioner Worley - Budget/Purchasing - To Accept and Appropriate Additional Grant Funds from the Governor’s Crime Commission for the Sheriff’s Office Supervised Safe Exchange Program (Grant Funds - $55,527; County Match 25% - $17,352)
body
STAFF CONTACT
Pat Laws - Budget - 704-866-3771
BUDGET IMPACT
budget
Appropriate federal pass-through State revenues. Additional County funds - $17,352.
body
BUDGET ORDINANCE IMPACT
N/A
BACKGROUND
Child visitation and child custody exchanges are a vital part of maintaining and building relationships between a child and his parents, but they are often a major challenge for domestic violence victims. For these parents, exchanges can be frustrating and even frightening. Visitation exchanges become problematic when the personal differences between the parents are not settled. A domestic violence case makes the visitation exchange difficult to handle, especially when restraining orders are in effect. In 2016, the Sheriff's DV deputies were called for 59 court-ordered child custody exchanges that were DV related. Unsupervised exchanges have the potential to erupt into verbal abuse or even physical violence. In 2017, one unsupervised custody exchange resulted in a domestic violence-related death. This project will provide a designated safe exchange location monitored by surveillance cameras, an emergency call box and oversight by a Sheriff's Deputy in order to maximize safety and minimize the potential for conflict. Exchange referrals will come from judges, the courts, and local attorneys.
POLICY IMPACT
N/A
ATTACHMENTS
Budget Change Request