Email to Washington State legislators.

In an attempt to get Washington State Legislators to ensure judges report child abuse to Child Protective Services (CPS), as opposed to the people of this state having to update the law and make judges mandatory reporters of child abuse to CPS through a public, I am sending the following email to our legislators:

Dear Representative .......,

I am contacting you because reporting child abuse to Child Protective Services (CSP) is in the best interest of children. Yet King County Family court judges are not reporting child abuse to Child Protective Services or allowing an investigation to occur.

I experienced this firsthand. King County Family Court Commissioner Michael Louden in a pre-trial hearing with nothing but hearsay evidence from lawyers as to whether child abuse did or did not occur, did not report to CPS. When I contacted CPS about this failure to report, I was told that they did not consider judges to be mandatory reporters per RCW 26.44.030 and would not contact the prosecuting attorney’s office for this obvious failure to operate in the best interests of the child. I was further told by CPS that several other states make judges mandatory reporters, but Washington state is dubiously unique in not specifying this requirement for judicial conduct.

I am not sure how often judges in King County Family court are not reporting child abuse allegations, but more than once suggests something is seriously wrong. Not reporting by King County Judges will only lead to children who might be abused not getting help from the most important child advocates in our state, Child Protective Services.

I believe something must be done. I have filled an Initiative of the People this year to update RCW 26.44.030 and make judges mandatory reporters, see www.reportchildabuses.com. While gathering the necessary signatures in time to get Initiative 1873 on the ballot by Nov 2nd is highly challenging, many people have expressed considerable support and have signed. Many have also expressed considerable confusion as to why our Washington State legislators have allowed such a loophole in the law to exist, and why they are not immediately closing it on their own accord.

I ask you to help me close this loophole of judges not reporting child abuse to Child Protective Services right away before the people of this state have to force ensuring child abuse is properly investigated though a public initiative.

Sincerely,

Albert W. Coburn

Initiative 1873

Lot of signatures to go to get Initiative 1873 on the ballot. Please go to www.reportchildabuses.com, download a signature petition, ask your friends and family to sign and send it to me.