Automatic notification when foster parents are arrested

Boy's death spurring changes in foster care
Lou Grieco, Dayton Daily News, Sept. 22, 2006.

DAYTON — Several weeks before Marcus Fiesel died, his foster father was charged with domestic violence, something that could have gotten the boy removed from the home — had the proper authorities been notified.

Now, Dan Foley, the Montgomery county clerk of courts and a candidate for county commission, is calling for creating a local system of foster parent oversight, to automatically notify the county's Children Services division whenever a foster parent is arrested or charged with a criminal offense.

Liz and David Carroll Jr., the Butler County parents now charged in the child's death, passed a criminal record check when they applied to be foster parents.

"It's not enough to check a parent, and then never again," Foley said. "We need to identify those who potentially place children at risk."

The good news, Foley said, is that authorities can use Montgomery County's criminal justice information system, which is a database that consolidates daily all arrests and criminal charges across the county, accessing information from the county jail and every court in the county except two mayor's courts. Fairborn Municipal Court was recently added.

The database, developed by Foley's office, has been available since 2005, but has records back to 1999.

Users include various law enforcement agencies, police and fire departments, prosecutors, probation officials, across Montgomery, Greene and Warren counties. Just recently, Children Services caseworkers were granted access, though that was proposed before Fiesel's death, Foley said.

Foley's political opponent, County Commissioner Charles J. Curran, said he would need to hear more about costs and opinions from other players in the criminal justice system. "It's easy to throw a concept out there," Curran said.

Foley said computer programmers at his office could set up regular searches at no extra cost. He will present his proposal to the criminal justice council later this fall.