DHS issues hit home with ‘Krystal Baby’

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DHS issues hit home with ‘Krystal Baby’

Most of us should know by now the serious problems the Arkansas Department of Human Services is facing, particularly when it comes to the Division of Family Services but it wasn’t until just the other day did we realize just how bad things really are.

It all began around 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16 when West Memphis police responded to an urgent call to a North Missouri fast-food restaurant after a baby boy was left abandoned in the parking lot.

Officers found the child was unharmed but found a prescription pill inside his carrier. The pill was determined to be a schedule four narcotic, Clonaezam, for which neither parent had a prescription.

The parents, who had after driving away leaving their three month old on the ground realized they left their child behind, called the restaurant and then returned for the baby.

When they arrived officers determined they were under the influence and in possession of additional pills and paraphernalia.

The situation only got worse when police attempted to contact DHS and was unable to reach anyone with the agency. Dispatchers attempted several DHS numbers including the cell phone number of supervisors to no avail.

It was only after contacting the parent’s grandmother that police were able to turn the child over to a responsible adult.

Here’s the rub. This particular incident with DHS wasn’t the first time this has occurred and the powersto- be always seem to have some lame-brained excuse as to why no one was available.

In this latest in incident DHS officials blamed staffing constraints. One of employees was on leave, another was in “Little Rock without cell phone service” and the other two were working a case conducting an interview.

Now, just how ignorant do these DHS bureaucrats thing our local police officers are? While we can understand the one employee being on leave but, come on, being in Little Rock and without cell phone service? That reason is absolutely ridiculous and totally unacceptable. And, as far as the other two employees conducting an interview there is no reason whatsoever that one of the two could have left the interview and at least answered their cell phone based on the fact that this was “an emergency”.

We would highly suggest that recently hired DHS Director Cindy Gillespie, who is making great strides in overhauling a totally dysfunctional billion dollar DHS agency, take a personal interest in this situation because we know that if this type of behavior on the part of bureaucrats happens in West Memphis it occurs elsewhere throughout the state.

This is a prime example of lazy, irresponsible and inept civil servants who show little or no interest in the responsibilities of their positions.

Excuses such as what we are being led to believe are unacceptable and we would expect Director Gillespie to consider disciplinary action and possible termination for dereliction of duty.