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Police officers provide a necessary and valuable service to society. They help to protect the safety of the public as well as ensure that laws are enforced. This is why it is unfortunate when a police officer passes away in Florida or elsewhere. It can become even more complicated when the police officer has children he or she has left behind and there is a dispute over who should receive guardianship of them. This became the case for one deceased police officer’s family recently as the woman’s mother and the children’s father now both seek custody of the children.
A probate court judge threw a further complication into the case when he asked that a hearing regarding the guardianship of her children be postponed. The probate court judge asked the special court judge to not hear the case, because he wanted to handle the case personally when he gets back on the bench. When the parties arrived at the courthouse, they expected to begin the guardianship proceedings. However, they will now have to wait until the judge returns in order to start the process.
The conflict over the custody of the children began when the deceased police officer’s mother filed a petition of guardianship with the court. She is asking the court to give her custody of the children as well as control over her daughter’s estate. The grandmother claims that the father is not a fit parent and that the children would be better off with her.
When a court judge hears a case regarding guardianship of children, the judge will listen to both sides of the case in order to obtain a full picture of the circumstances. Judges in Florida and elsewhere are required to make their decisions based upon the best interests of the children. However, many times it is unclear what would be best for the children. Therefore, a party wishing for custody of the children should make sure to present a well-prepared legal argument in order to prevail.