Link:
http://www.9news.com/news/local/article/329751/680/index.php?do=%2Fuser%2Fregister
This will go down in my memory as one of the angriest and most passionate tirades I've heard
With his lip sometimes quivering and furious tone, Judge Chris
Melonakis didn't hold back as he unleashed a verbal assault on the Adams
County Human Services Department, child welfare caseworkers and their
supervisors.
In the ten-minute courtroom barrage, Judge Melonakis called for a grand
jury investigation against the department and basically held caseworkers
directly responsible
for the death of toddler Michael Harris.
-
Here's one of the quotes from the video you'll have to watch (at about 8:42):
"It's appalling the level of neglect, not by the mother, which is
appalling, but by the state, charged with the care and protection of a
child. It is ridiculous. It transcends the boundaries of human decency.
Irrespective of the bureaucratic ability to hide behind privacy laws,
to hide behind privilege, to make no statements, to try and cover their
tracks, knowing the press is going to go away. The stories don't have
legs for five years. Judges get rotated out of divisions, so you can
come in with a new judge and give him the smiley face and convince him
you're doing your job. That administrative review takes years, and
years, and years...and children die and bureaucrats still have their
jobs. That's the way it works. That's the way the system in this state
is set up."
During our
Failed to Death coverage, we repeatedly ran into counties claiming "privacy laws" prevented them from talking about a child fatality.
How convenient.
We illustrated this obstacle
while I profiled the case of a little boy named Andres Estrada. He died
despite numerous calls to police and caseworkers about neglect and no
supervision in his home.
Adams County wouldn't talk to us about the Estrada case, and deferred comment to the state.
Counties want local control of their caseworkers and human services
departments. And they make a good argument that they are more familiar
with what services families need at their local level. Makes sense.
However, when a county makes a mistake, and a child dies, it doesn't
want the local accountability. It doesn't want to answer to the public
or press. It draws the privacy law curtains, and escapes scrutiny.
If counties want to operate their own human services departments, they
should be transparent at the local level so mistakes and errors can be
fixed. That's just good government.
Who are privacy laws protecting? Children?
If only the dead could have their say.
Have a comment or tip for investigative reporter Jeremy Jojola? Call him at 303-871-1425 or e-mail him
jeremy.jojola@9news.com
(KUSA-TV © 2013 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks, Gran Pa Chuck
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
