Running away in Georgia

[SALRBG]

Hello,
My 17 year old daughter has threatened to runaway from home. I'm extremely concerned and not quite sure what to do. What are the laws on running away from home at 17 in Georgia? Someone told me that if we call the police they won't be able to bring her back because she is 17. I'm doing my best to keep her from leaving, but I need to know the laws and actions I should take in case she does anyway.

Thanks.

[Kimble]

Someone told me that if we call the police they won't be able to bring her back because she is 17.

Always a good call to vet your sources:

As used in this article, the term:

(1) 'Runaway child' or 'runaway children' means a child or children under the age of 18 whose parents, legal guardian, or custodian has reported to a law enforcement agency that such person has reason to believe that the child or children have deserted without cause the child´s or children´s home or abode and are in imminent danger.

(2) 'Runaway child report' means a report prepared on a form designed by the department for the use by law enforcement agencies and private citizens to report information about runaway children to the Office of Runaway Children Assistance.

Further, the role of the police is spelled out as follows:

Upon the filing of a police report by the parent or guardian that a child has run away, the local law enforcement agency receiving such report shall notify all of its on-duty law enforcement officers of the existence of the runaway child report, communicate the report to all other law enforcement agencies having jurisdiction in the county and all law enforcement agencies of jurisdictions geographically adjoining that of the local law enforcement agency, and transmit the report to the Office of Runaway Children Assistance.

also...

Every law enforcement agency and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation shall transmit to the Office of Runaway Children Assistance any information which is acquired or collected pursuant to Code Section 35-1-8 or Code Section 35-3-4, which information would assist in the location of any runaway child.

and...

Upon locating a runaway child, the department or other law enforcement agency shall process the runaway child pursuant to the procedures set out in Part 5 of Article 1 of Chapter 11 of Title 15."

[GoDirectly2Jail]

I'm not up on Ga. law, but from what Kimble has graciously found and posted, it looks like until your daughter actually turns 18, that the police will be able to help you, provided that all the conditions of your situation are met as outlined in the law.

[retdetsgt]

The problem is, at 17 you really can't "make" her do anything. If she doesn't respect you enough by now to obey you now, she won't when the police bring her home either.

Not trying to sound mean, but that's the reality of the situation. Try to work out some sort of compromise or solution around the real problem.

[scott715us]

Or just let her wear the orange jumpsuit for a few days to provide a reality check once she is found and picked up by LEOs.

[retdetsgt]

Or just let her wear the orange jumpsuit for a few days to provide a reality check once she is found and picked up by LEOs.

Do they do that there for runaways? Here, it's a status crime and there just returned to the parents. We don't have anywhere near the facilities to mess with runaway kids other than pick them up.