A new bill recently passed by the Florida House of Representatives would allow courts to require parents who share custody of their children to use “secure exchange locations” at county sheriff’s offices. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office already has two parking spaces designated for secure exchanges in front of the building, with 24-hour surveillance cameras trained on both. Stay up to date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25 “If you have a custody issue and need to deal with the other party, do it right here in the parking lot. It's on camera. This will allow you to record everything that happens if there are allegations later,” said St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson. Pearson said the zone has been in operation for several years now and is intended not only for custody exchanges, but also for online shopping exchanges. Last week, the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill (HB 385) that would create such safe zones in every sheriff's office in the state. It's called the “Cassie Carli” law, named after a mother who was kidnapped and killed after meeting the father of her child for a swap in northwest Florida. “It's unfortunate events like these that make us more vigilant, but as a community we are stronger together,” Pearson said.Related : Child exchange leads to shooting in Port St. Lucie. The bill would require at least one parking lot at the sheriff's office to be designated as an interchange location, identified by purple lights or signs, adequately lit, and monitored by video surveillance. Pearson said it is possible to even request the physical presence of a deputy if you feel the cameras do not provide adequate protection. “You could always call the non-emergency hotline and ask the deputy to come through here and we'll be happy to send someone here. We don't want to interfere, we want to monitor to make sure that everyone, as you know, is polite and cordial to one another.” said Pearson. An identical bill (SB 580) is currently making its way through the Florida Senate. Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
FORT PIERCE, Fla. –
A new bill recently passed by the Florida House of Representatives would allow courts to require parents who have joint custody of their children to use “secure exchange locations” at county sheriff's offices.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office already has two secure interchange parking spaces at the front of the building with 24-hour surveillance cameras.
To stay updated: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
“If you have a custody issue and need to communicate with the other party, do it right here in the parking lot. It's on camera. This will allow you to capture everything that happens if there are allegations later,” said St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson.
Pearson said the zone has been used for several years and is designed not only for custody exchanges but also for online purchasing exchanges.
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The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office has a secure exchange zone for custody exchanges.
Last week, the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill (HB 385) that would establish these types of security zones in every sheriff's office in the state.
It's called the “Cassie Carli” law, named after a mother who was kidnapped and killed after meeting the father of her child for a swap in northwest Florida.
“It is unfortunate events like these that make us more vigilant, but as a community we are stronger together,” Pearson said.
Related: Child exchange leads to shooting in Port St. Lucie
The bill would require at least one parking lot at the sheriff's office to be designated as an exchange office, identified by purple lights or signs, adequately lit, and monitored by video surveillance.
Pearson said people could even request the physical presence of a deputy if they feel the cameras do not provide adequate protection.
“You could always call the non-emergency hotline and ask the deputy to come here and we are happy to send someone here to not interfere but to monitor to make sure everyone remains civil and cordial with one another,” Pearson said.
An identical bill (SB 580) is currently before the Florida Senate.
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it Here.
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