Buchanan said it is important to stop this violence between the parents and protect children from any conflict that does occur. Bexar County Sheriff Ralph Lopez told the committee that his office is serving from 800 to 1000 child support orders a month and that it investigates all child abuse allegations for all potential victims up to the age of 18. Lopez said those custody orders telling a parent to let a child visit a former spouse are difficult to enforce. The Sheriff says parents have all kinds of excuses for not letting a child visit the other parent. Hugh Nations, representing the Mens and Fathers Resource Center, testified that fathers have problems as well as single mothers.
Nations says non-custodial parents are indeed having trouble getting to see their children.
Lieutenant Rosanna Church-Abreo from the Department of Public Safety Missing Persons office says it is her job to see that lawful custody is not interrupted. She says that there is currently nothing in the law to keep one parent from leaving with a child before a court order is issued. Victor Negron, a board certified family lawyer from San Antonio, testified that as a private attorney he sees the high emotional and financial cost of child custody battles. Negron says other problems include disputes over religious and moral training, discipline, and the pickup and return of children. He says the families that most need parenting classes simply do not go, that some people just cannot get along without a court acting a referee and recommends more non-adversarial family law proceedings as a way of reducing conflict.