Bill would require DCFS to notify police of knowingly false child abuse reports

SALT LAKE CITY — State lawmakers have proposed a bill that would require the Division of Child and Family Services to notify law enforcement if it receives a report of child abuse or neglect that is believed to be knowingly false.

The proposal, discussed in the state Legislature‘s Rules Review and General Oversight Committee Monday, would slightly modify the existing code that gives the division discretion over whether to inform police of false reports. Lawmakers were insistent the bill was not meant to reduce the number of credible reports made to the agency and encouraged residents with knowledge of abuse to report it.

“I know in this specific bill that we’re discussing, we were mostly dealing with very contested and divisive custodial pieces where we see … one parent weaponizing abuse as part of their custody battles,” Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, said. “But I just want to make sure the message to the public is that we want people to continue to report — that every report can save a child’s life — and I want to make sure that as we are navigating a very difficult, delicate balance with this specific issue of false reporting, that we are not discouraging the public at large.”

Read the full story and more from Bridger Beal-Cvetko on ksl.com.