SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Monday, four people — three children and an adult man — were gunned down during a supervised visit between a father and his children.
The father, David Mora Rojas, then turned the gun on himself. Nathaniel Kong, 59, the adult man who was killed, was supervising the visit between Rojas and his daughters when he was killed.
Debbie Comstock, President of California Association of Supervised Visitation Service Providers (CASVSP), said in domestic violence cases like this, she wouldn't have the visit in a public place like a church but in a more controlled environment.
This is the kind of case Comstock says she would insist on doing on her turf, at a center.
"Some centers will actually ask the person to take all their personal items and put them in a locker," Comstock said. "Some will even wand for weapons, some do to help ensure some of that safety. Once that is taken care of, only then do the children arrive."
According to its website, CASVSP "is a statewide association and training organization of professionals in California that represents, assists, promotes, and supports the delivery of supervised visitation." Does that mean someone like Kong should not have been in the situation? Not necessarily.
In California, if you’re over 21 years old and don’t have a record of harming children, you can volunteer to be a supervisor. However, Comstock says domestic violence situations are some of the most dangerous cases to supervise.
People who supervise visitations for a living go through a complete training. They also follow safety protocols, like who shows up to the visit first and what screening will be done.
Regardless if the supervisor is a professional or a volunteer, Comstock says it is worth putting serious thought into these arrangements, like making a detailed safety plan and calling CASVSP if problems arise.
"There's a reason why a visit has been ordered to be supervised. The court has already made a determination that this is not OK to just happen on its own," Comstock said. "That in and of itself should tell you something."
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