Child Protective Services Attorneys
Child Protective Service and the Cops: Don’t Talk to Either
If Utah Child Protective Services or the Utah Division of Child and Family Services comes to your door to ask you questions, you have a problem.
My advice is this: Don’t talk to them without an attorney present. So, tell them you’d be happy to speak with them, but you’ll need to schedule a time so you can call your attorney.
They will try to tell you you don’t need an attorney. That’s wrong. You do. I know many, many good people who talked to CPS, got nervous and said something that CPS took the wrong way, and spent the next year fixing the mess created by CPS’s misunderstanding.
Be safe. Get an attorney.
And, if the cops show up with CPS, don’t talk to the cops either. Don’t let them in your house unless they have a warrant or specific legal authorization to enter.
Both CPS and the cops will tell you if you don’t have anything to fear, you don’t need an attorney. They’ll also say if you don’t cooperate (i.e., don’t do everything they say), you’ll look guilty.
Don’t buy it. You don’t look guilty if you get an experienced family law attorney. You look smart. Let your lawyer handle things. You’ll be forever grateful you did.