HomeMy WebLinkAbout24-083 RESOLUTION NO. 24-083
A RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2024 AS
"FAMILY ABDUCTION AWARENESS DAY"
IN ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County, Florida, has made
the following determinations:
1. Family abduction is a devastating and traumatic experience that affects countless families
across the nation, often resulting in emotional distress and long-term consequences for both
the abducted children and their loved ones.
2. May 25th is National Missing Children Awareness Day and the month of May provides an
excellent opportunity to demonstrate support for national efforts to reduce the threat of
family abductions, reunite the children who are missing with their families, and honor all those
who are working for the cause.
3. Every 40 seconds, a child goes missing or is abducted in the United States and statistically,
90% of all missing children get taken by their parents or another family member.
4. A family abduction occurs when a child is taken, wrongfully retained, or concealed by a parent
or other family member, depriving another individual of their right to custody or visitation,
even in cases with vague or absent court orders.
5. A family abduction is often an act of frustration by the perpetrator with the left-behind parent,
the legal system, or his or her own situation in life and has distinctive characteristics including
emotional and psychological trauma to the child and left-behind family.
6. Law enforcement officers should recognize these events not as harmless offenses where two
parents are arguing over who loves the child more, but instead as an insidious form of child
abuse. It is incumbent on law enforcement agencies to maintain written plans which specify
actions and procedures for promptly meeting situations of alleged family abduction.
7. Courts have held that law enforcement is responsible for making certain that the child is with
the person who has lawful custody and must verify the validity of any court orders, and when
an agency fails to identify a need for training and to set policy for matters which are
foreseeable, it creates a threat to public health.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie
County, Florida that this Board does hereby proclaim Saturday, May 25, 2024, as "Family Abduction
Awareness Day" in St. Lucie County.
PASSED AND DULY ADOPTED this 21st day of May 2024.
ATTEST: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
ST LU IE COUNTY,)=LORIDA
, iieociLsN,
DEPUTY CLERK CHAIR
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`�" PPROVE & CORRECTNESS:
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