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Citizen urges council to require verification before custody transfers and create child-safety oversight
Summary
Public commenter Jill Petri told the council she was barred from protecting a child after a court reversed custody while protective orders remained active and asked the parish to adopt a verification process, form a child-safety oversight task force, and hold regular inter-agency meetings to ensure protective orders are enforced.
Jill Petri told the Lefouch Parish Council that a judge reversed custody on Jan. 3, 2025 while protective orders and other court documents still existed, and that local agencies executed the transfer without a signed judgment. "Protective orders are issued and then ignored," Petri said, arguing the result left a child unprotected and that local enforcement and coordination failed.
Petri asked the council to adopt three non-judicial steps within parish authority: create a child-safety oversight task force to review protective-order enforcement and custody changes; implement a verification process requiring confirmation of a signed judgment before any custody transfer is enforced by parish agencies; and convene quarterly inter-agency meetings among law enforcement, child protective services, and community advocates to close communication gaps.
Petri said the Louisiana law requires a signed judgment before a custody change can be enforced; she said in her case a signature was not presented for nearly four weeks. Council members did not take formal action at the meeting, but the chair advised Petri to consult with the clerk about records requests and the council noted the matter involves judicial processes beyond parish control.
No council motion or ordinance was introduced at the Oct. 14 meeting on this matter; Petri framed her requests as local administrative reforms that do not require the council to override judicial rulings.
