Wash. Law Hailed as New Tool To Rescue Runaway Children

By Jessica Portner

A new law in Washington State gives police and parents greater authority to find and rescue runaway children in a state that has become known as a haven for young people fleeing their homes.

Gov. Mike Lowry signed legislation this month that allows authorities to remove runaways with drug, alcohol, or mental-health problems from the streets and hold them for up to five days without court approval.

In a ceremony attended by dozens of parents of lost children, the Democratic Governor said the law will strengthen the ability of parents to recover their children. It replaces a more lenient state law that gave parents few rights to retrieve their children and earned Washington a national reputation as a refuge for runaways, said Martin...