CLEARFIELD – Due to a recent incident during which someone posed as an employee for Children, Youth and Family Services, the Clearfield County Commissioners and Jay Hamilton of CYFS reviewed the department’s procedures.
Hamilton advised that every employee within his department has photo identification. Typically, he said that his caseworkers ensure they’re at the correct residence and then follow by properly identifying themselves.
“Anytime they knock on your door, you can ask for ID,” he said. “They have an ID badge on them at all times.”
Commissioner Joan Robinson-McMillen instructed residents to “ask, ask, ask.” She said if anyone fails to present the proper identification, they shouldn’t be permitted inside the residence.
Hamilton said any resident can contact his office at 814-765-1541 to verify a caseworker’s identification.
“If they’re authorized, they’ll stay for you to make the call. If not, they’ll probably try to get out of there,” Robinson-McMillen said.
McCracken agreed that it was worth it to make the necessary contacts. In the end, he said it would all work out. But he said if the individual isn’t authorized, it needs to be reported.
“You need to get the police there. You have to protect yourself and your family,” he said.
According to a prior GantDaily report, the DuBois City Police Department initiated an investigation Thursday, Dec. 2 into a “suspicious male” who reportedly posed as a CYFS employee. The male arrived around 5 p.m. at a residence in the 700 block of Maple Avenue and claimed to represent CYFS, police said.
Further, police said the male reportedly advised he was there at the request of the school district and was to take the children into his custody. The male neither presented a CYFS identification card nor any sort of badge.
Police said the homeowners questioned the male and then closed the door. They also told police about remembering the male from a similar incident. Sometime in July, the male reportedly arrived at the residence and presented a badge to the homeowners’ young daughter. When questioned, the male left, police said.
In both incidents, police said the male left on foot, and a vehicle wasn’t present at the residence. This time, police observed footprints in the snow, leading to the side of the residence.
“It appeared as if someone had been standing in front of the dining room window,” police said.
Police described the suspect as a white male who is in his 50’s. He stands approximately 5 feet, 7 inches to 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a slim build. He has short, grayish hair and mustache and was wearing a blue, trench coat and ball cap.
Hamilton told the commissioners that he hadn’t received any updates about the investigation from the police department.