Section 210.1500

Title XII PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE

Chapter 210

Effective - 28 Aug 2022, highlighted 1    

  210.1500.  Suspected victims of sex trafficking, law enforcement duties — division duties — procedure. — 1.  When a child is located by a police officer or law enforcement official and there is reasonable cause to suspect the child may be a victim of sex trafficking or severe forms of trafficking as those terms are defined under 22 U.S.C. Section 7102, the police officer or law enforcement official shall immediately cause a report to be made to the children's division in accordance with section 210.115.  Upon receipt of a report by the children's division and if the children's division determines that the report merits an investigation, the reporting official and the children's division shall ensure the immediate safety of the child and shall coinvestigate the complaint to its conclusion.

  2.  If the police officer or law enforcement official has reasonable cause to believe that the child is in imminent danger of suffering serious physical harm or a threat to life as a result of abuse or neglect due to sex trafficking or sexual exploitation and such officer or official has reasonable cause to believe the harm or threat to life may occur before a juvenile court is able to issue a temporary protective custody order or before a juvenile officer is able to take the child into protective custody, the police officer or law enforcement official may take or retain temporary protective custody of the child without the consent of the child's parent or parents, guardian, or any other person legally responsible for the child's care, as provided under section 210.125.

  3.  If the child is already under the jurisdiction of the court under paragraph (a) of subdivision (1) of subsection 1 of section 211.031 and in the legal custody of the children's division, the police officer or law enforcement official, along with the children's division, shall secure placement for the child in the least restrictive setting in order to ensure the safety of the child from further sex trafficking or severe forms of trafficking.

  4.  The children's division and the reporting officer or official shall ensure a referral is made to the child advocacy center for a forensic interview and an evaluation, as necessary to ensure the medical safety of the child, by a SAFE CARE provider as defined under section 334.950.  The child shall be assessed utilizing a validated screening tool specific to sex trafficking to ensure the appropriate resources are secured for the treatment of the child.

  5.  For purposes of this section, multidisciplinary teams shall be used when conducting an investigation.  Multidisciplinary teams shall be used in providing protective or preventive social services, including the services of law enforcement upon the request by the department of social services, a liaison of the local public school, the juvenile officer, the juvenile court, and other agencies, both public and private, to secure appropriate services to meet the needs of the child.

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(L. 2022 S.B. 775, et al.)