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Public commenter accuses county agencies of failing to act on child-abuse reports; county staff cite confidentiality
Summary
A public commenter, Ben Z., alleged repeated child-abuse reports to county hotlines and named officials; county staff responded that law prevents discussing specifics of investigations and provided the reporting hotline (833-722-5437).
During the meeting’s public-comment period, a man identifying himself as Ben Z. said he had repeatedly reported suspected abuse of his children to the county hotline and to local officials and that no screening or investigation had taken place. He described behavioral and mental-health impacts on his children and urged the committee to intervene.
County staff responded that state law prohibits discussing details of active investigations in a public forum and that child-welfare agencies are required to cross-report allegations of physical and sexual abuse to law enforcement and the district attorney when warranted. Staff provided the county reporting line for suspected child abuse: (833) 722-5437, and affirmed that the county takes allegations of child abuse seriously. No committee action to investigate the allegations was announced during the meeting.
