Powell tragedy prompts lawmakers to take a hard look at custody disputes
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington lawmakers are looking to implement new rules to protect children in custody disputes.
The state Senate unanimously approved a bill Thursday in response to the case of missing Utah mother Susan Powell. Josh Powell was the subject of an investigation into his wife's disappearance last year and locked in a custody battle with her parents when he killed himself and the couple's two young children.
The proposed law would require state officials to consult with law enforcement about visitation matters when a parent is an identified suspect in a criminal investigation that could impact the safety of the child. Powell was not a declared suspect in his wife's disappearance but was named a person of interest.
The bill now goes to the state House.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
"consult with law enforcement." How would that have helped in this case? I am all for making sure children are safe, and the sadness of that man murdering his two sons is still with me. I think instead of 'consulting' there should be supervised visitation if the parent is being investigated for the horrendous stuff Powell was being investigated for. Call the grammar police, the sentence structure etc are all wrong, but I'm tired after a long night and ready to rest.
@AmiMÂ How do you predict the unimaginable?
@Bert You don't. You just take all the evidence and background information and try to keep kids safe. If it inconveniences people and makes them angry, that's too bad. Understandable that it would cause trouble from many. But isn't the life of a child worth that? I just don't see how a new law that requires 'law enforcement consultation' is going to work.
I vaguely remember a story of a supervised visit with a mother and her child in which the mother killed her child while the stste was reading the newspaper. This I think this happened in Eugene but could be Portland
@Bert KATU removed my earlier comment. I am not sure why. The incident occurred in Gresham. The woman sat on her baby girl's head in the mud and smothered her while the case worker who was supposed to be supervising the visit sat in the car and read the newspaper. The mother then took the child to a nearby funeral home. The visit was NOT supervised adequately and a small child lost her life.
@AmiM @Bert Didn't the union help the case worker keep her job
@Bert I believe the caseworker was male, and am not sure of the outcome of that case. It was just a sad waste of a little life, and broke a lot of hearts.
This is what I hate about lawmakers.  They grab a headline and legislate from it.  Josh Powell was a complete psychopathic freak, one in 100,000,000.  We don't need a new law based this jerks actions. Â
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@TheUglyTruth @trololol There are far more gun crazies than Josh Powells. Â