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Child custody exchange centers could make parents feel safer

On Behalf of | Feb 11, 2013 | Child Custody

Divorced parents have many concerns and worries that can keep them up at night. But some in Ohio have to deal with the reality of a dangerous ex-spouse, one who may act out without any sort of warning against the family she or he once had. This uncertainty has led some people to consider the idea of secure child custody exchange centers, something that can help eliminate the damaging effects that an abusive individual can cause.

If divorced parents do not get along, the exchange of the child can be a very stressful time. Many parents choose to meet in a public place, thinking that it is safe enough for the meeting of two people who are at odds with one another. That is what one family thought when they met on the campus of a community college. They did not expect that the father of the child they were exchanging would pull a gun on them and shoot all three of them.

That is what happened when a 53-year-old man, his 12-year-old daughter and his 20-year-old niece met with the father of the 20-year-old’s child. All three of them were shot in the parking lot of the community college and each of them died because of their wounds. Now, the only survivor is the wife of the 53-year-old man and she is hoping that the story of her family will bring about enough awareness and concern for the creation of such exchange centers.

In her mind, she sees them as an area with two entrances – one for each party. Metal detectors will be present, and there will be a network of them across her state so that they could be used by any and all parents in need of them. An advocacy group against domestic violence agrees with this idea and wants to see it implemented, stating that the shooting of this family shows that there is a need for such a thing.

Source: WYMT, “Missy Cornett calls for secure child custody exchange sites,” Matthew Rand, Feb. 4, 2013

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