Police & Emergency Resources for Custody Issues
Most custody disputes belong in court, not at a police precinct — but there are moments when law enforcement is the right call. Here is when to involve police, the non-emergency numbers for metro Atlanta agencies, and Georgia's family violence resources.
If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911. Nothing on this page is a substitute for emergency services.
When to involve law enforcement in a custody exchange problem
Police generally treat custody disputes as civil matters. Officers usually will not force a parent to hand over a child based on your word alone, and they will not interpret ambiguous orders. But law enforcement can appropriately help when:
- You need a civil standby. Many departments will send an officer to "keep the peace" during a tense exchange or while retrieving belongings. Call the non-emergency line in advance to ask; availability varies by department and staffing.
- A protective order is being violated. Violating a family violence protective order can be a criminal matter in Georgia. Carry a certified copy of your order and call police if it is violated.
- You reasonably fear abduction. If a parent has taken a child in violation of a custody order — especially with signs of flight — contact police promptly. Interference with custody is a crime under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-45), though police responses to order violations vary and you may also need to pursue contempt in the family court.
- You want a record. Filing a police report after a serious incident (threats, refusal to return the child, an altercation at an exchange) creates dated documentation that may matter later in court.
What police generally cannot do: enforce visitation schedules, decide who is "right" about an order, or take a child from one parent and give it to the other without a court directive. For repeated violations, the remedy is usually a contempt action in the court that issued the order — see legal aid & self-help if you need help filing one. If exchanges are routinely volatile, ask the court about monitored exchanges, which remove parent-to-parent contact entirely.
Non-emergency police lines in the metro
| Agency | Non-emergency line |
|---|---|
| Atlanta Police Department (City of Atlanta) | (404) 658-6666 — many city services also route through ATL311 at (404) 546-0311 |
| Fulton County Police (unincorporated Fulton) | (404) 613-6600 |
| DeKalb County Police | (770) 724-7600 |
| Cobb County Police | (770) 499-3911 |
| Gwinnett County Police | (770) 513-5700 |
These numbers are drawn from public listings and change over time — verify with the department before relying on them. Cities inside each county (Marietta, Decatur, Lawrenceville, Sandy Springs, and others) have their own police departments with their own non-emergency lines.
Georgia family violence resources
Protective orders: the basics
Georgia's Family Violence Act allows a person who has experienced family violence — including violence between current or former spouses, parents of the same child, or household members — to petition the superior court for a temporary protective order (TPO). In broad strokes:
- You file a petition in the superior court of the county where the respondent lives (there are exceptions). There is no filing fee for family violence TPO petitions.
- A judge can grant an ex parte order the same day, without the other party present, if the petition shows probable cause of family violence.
- A full hearing is then held — generally within 30 days — where both sides can present evidence. The court can extend protection, typically for up to 12 months, with possible extension or permanency.
- Protective orders can address custody, visitation, support, and residence on a temporary basis, and can require supervised or suspended visitation while in effect.
Court advocates and legal aid organizations can help you complete TPO paperwork — see legal aid & self-help.
Hotlines and support
- Georgia statewide domestic violence hotline: 1-800-33-HAVEN (1-800-334-2836), 24/7
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE), or text START to 88788
- Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (GCADV): connects callers to certified local shelters and advocacy programs across the state
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 for mental health crises
Documenting incidents the right way
- Write down dates, times, locations, and witnesses while memory is fresh.
- Save texts, voicemails, and app messages rather than deleting them in frustration; courts rely heavily on written records. A co-parenting communication app can create a tamper-resistant record automatically.
- Report serious incidents to police even when no arrest results — the report itself has value.
- Never engineer a confrontation to generate evidence; judges recognize it, and it endangers the child.