In a shocking overnight police raid, officers broke down the door to this family’s home and took three kids from their parents. The children were placed in foster homes shortly after the raid. However, when the public discovered the reason behind the raid, the officers fell under scrutiny.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) and the Chandler Police Department in Chandler, Arizona recently drew criticism after police conducted an overnight raid on a family home. Officers broke down the door to take three children away, separating them from each other in different foster homes.
But what made this response so quickly draw scrutiny was that it was allegedly all because an unvaccinated toddler had a fever.
A 2-year-old little boy reportedly had a fever of 105 degrees when his pregnant mother took him to the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine clinic in Tempe. The doctor became concerned because the child was unvaccinated and feared he could have life-threatening meningitis, telling her to take him to the emergency room.
After leaving the doctor’s office though, the baby began laughing and playing with his siblings and when they rechecked his temperature it had dropped back close to normal.
The mother then called the doctor around 6:30 pm letting them know her son was better and she no longer wanted to take him to the ER, but she also expressed fear of getting in trouble with DCS because her son wasn’t vaccinated – which she was assured would not be case if she did eventually go through with it – so she agreed once again to take him but never went through with it as reported by hospital staff when they called 3 hours later.
This prompted DCS calling police for a welfare check on the toddler at 10:30 pm who then knocked on their door several times before being refused entry by parents who said their son’s fever had broken and he was fine now.
DCs then sought out a temporary custody notice from a judge in order for them get lawful permission into their home that granted around midnight – prompting officers returning with guns drawn and knocking down their door after 1 am despite there being no criminal incident taking place or either parent arrested.
All three children were removed from their home while DCS conducted review over whether or not grandparents could be entrusted with care of kids, meanwhile both parents were forced psychological evaluations and complete “family reunification plan” before officials would consider returning kids back home again.
This case quickly drew outrage from both parents’ advocates and legislators alike who were furious over way situation handled as seen in surveillance footage released by father showing officers use force reserved “for violent criminals”.
Family attorney argued such force wasn’t necessary all due to fever that wasn’t even present anymore when they got checked at hospital.
