On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Domestic Violence on Friday, November 9, 2012.
For parents with particularly contentious relationships, drop off and pick up times for custody and visitation exchanges can be quite challenging. Especially in situations where there is the threat — or perceived threat — of domestic violence, parents want to make sure they are safe and so are their children.
This is why one county recently started an around-the-clock 24 hour custody exchange zone. The zone is monitored the entire time by the sheriff’s office through video surveillance. This way, if an issue were to occur, law enforcement could respond and the entire thing would be on tape.
The child custody exchange zone is a neutral zone consisting of two parking spots. The idea is that one parent pulls up their car to the left of the zone, while the other parent parks on the right side of the zone. There is an orange square in between the two zones where the child can safely walk from one parent’s car to the other parent’s car without having to worry about traffic.
As mentioned, this exchange spot is open 24 hours a day and is continuously monitored.
Going forward, if this child custody exchange zone works in terms of creating a safe zone for parents and reducing domestic issues during these exchanges, there is a good chance this idea could end up being adopted by more counties across the country, including here in Illinois.
Overall, when it comes to family law issues, those surrounding child custody are often the most contentious. Understandably, emotions tend to run high when children are involved. However, parents need to keep the best interest of their children in mind and work with an experienced attorney when issue do arise instead of attempting to take the matter in to their own hands.
Source: WBAY, “First 24/7 Child Custody Exchange Zone,” Jennifer Wilson, Nov. 2, 2012
