(a) Every law enforcement and social services agency in this state is encouraged to develop, adopt, and implement written policies and standards for their response to narcotics crime scenes where a child is either immediately present or where there is evidence that a child lives, by January 1, 2005. These policies shall reflect the fact that exposing a child to the manufacturing, trafficking, and use of narcotics is criminal conduct and that a response coordinated by law enforcement and social services agencies is essential to the child’s health and welfare.
(b) The needs of a drug endangered child are best served with written policies encouraging the arrest of an individual for child endangerment where there is probable cause that an offense has been committed coordinated with an appropriate investigation of the child’s welfare by child protective agencies. Protocols that encourage a dependency investigation contemporaneous with a law enforcement investigation at a narcotics crime scene, when appropriate, are consistent with a child’s best interest.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 75, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2004.)