"We're where the rubber meets the road," said Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee. It's the law enforcement officer who will be called to remove from his or her home a child believed to be the victim of abuse, neglect, or abandonment. These children, Gee said, face "an uncertain immediate future."

"They don't know where they're going to be that night, if they'll be with their siblings an hour from now," Gee said. "How do we limit the impact on these children?" With A Kid's Place, he added, "we have a place to put them until things settle down." The shelter, he said, "gives judges time to do a better due diligence."

Gee added that "the numbers aren't good, more than 110 kids we had to take out of homes last month [March 2009]."

"We're where the rubber meets the road," said Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee. It's the law enforcement officer who will be called to remove from his or her home a child believed to be the victim of abuse, neglect, or abandonment. These children, Gee said, face "an uncertain immediate future."

"They don't know where they're going to be that night, if they'll be with their siblings an hour from now," Gee said. "How do we limit the impact on these children?" With A Kid's Place, he added, "we have a place to put them until things settle down." The shelter, he said, "gives judges time to do a better due diligence."

Gee added that "the numbers aren't good, more than 110 kids we had to take out of homes last month [March 2009]."