Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (AP/KSL News) -- Foster care advocates are upset that the city of South Jordan is even thinking of a new ordinance regarding foster families.
The city is considering a mandatory registry for foster-care families in response to complaints that police are commonly called to settle discipline problems.
Under a proposed ordinance, foster families would get three free police or fire calls in a 12-month period. Each additional call would cost $100.
"It creates a significant burden on our emergency services when we have to respond on those type of calls," Chief Lindsay Shepherd said.
There are 22 foster homes in South Jordan, according to the Utah Division of Children and Family Services.
Shepherd said "very few" are creating problems for the city.
The Utah Foster Care Foundation says foster families deserve respect and help, not punishment. The Foundation's Deborah Lindner says if there is a problem with foster families calling 911 too frequently, the agencies should work with them.
But police have responded to emergency calls at one foster home 19 times this year, he said. Fourteen were for arguments or other conflicts in which no crime had taken place.
"The whole purpose of this ordinance is to deal with those very few that we're having the issues with," Shepherd said.
Foster parents are trained by the Utah Foster Care Foundation and licensed by the Department of Human Services. Parents who are having problems know to call the foundation or their case worker, spokeswoman Carol Sisco said.
She said she had not received any complaints about parents making excessive calls for emergency services.
"When there's an issue of public safety, (they) certainly have the right to call police, as everyone else does," Sisco said.
South Jordan resident Joseph Fullmer spoke out against the ordinance last week.
"I have five children of my own," he said. "If I make four calls to emergency services in a year, that's reasonable according to this (ordinance). If I have four children and one foster child, all of a sudden four calls is unreasonable."
Dallas Pierson, chief executive of the Utah Foster Care Foundation, hopes the ordinance is defeated.
"The police are there in South Jordan to serve and protect, and yet they're putting a parameter on who they serve and protect with this ordinance," Pierson said.
Utah Foster Care Foundation's Deborah Lindner will be at the city council meeting tonight.
Deborah Lindner: "We want to let the city know that we support our foster families and we don't want them to be discriminated against."
Lindner says she hasn't heard of a foster care ordinance anywhere in the state, or in the country.
------ Information from: Deseret Morning News, http://www.deseretnews.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
