The Lucas County Children Services board voted unanimously Thursday on the creation of a task force investigating the agency’s functions after an executive session briefing the board on Keimani Latigue’s case.
“I think they’re going to look at most likely everything, and it’s going to be good — and we’re working together,” said Suzette Cowell, president of the board.
Randy Muth, executive director of LCCS, said the agency was advised by the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office not to release any information about Keimani’s case but said he is “aware that the public needs to have confidence in this agency” and hopes to release limited information to restore that trust.
“I think the best way to build trust with the public is to look at our actions through the lens of their own good judgment,” Mr. Muth said. “We’re not able to do that right now, but once this prosecution is over, and with the help of the task force, we’ll be able to release our files and let people judge how we responded prior to Keimani’s death.”
Commissioner Pete Gerken said the board reached out to the commissioners for counsel and advice and said the board is “self aware” that the public wants answers from the agency. He hopes the task force can help restore confidence.
“They will decide in that board meeting if they want to ask the commissioners to launch this [task force],” Mr. Gerken said earlier Thursday. “We are ready, and we’ll be ready as soon as tomorrow, if asked, to start the process.”
Mr. Gerken said the task force would conduct a “systematic review” of the agency to address an “erosion of trust” from the public.
“The community wants this review. There is trust that does not exist, that needs to exist, and our goal is to re-establish that,” Mr. Gerken said.
Mr. Muth said they would work with the commissioners to determine how the task force would be composed and the scope of its work.
The agency’s board is made up of Ms. Cowell, Johnetta McCollough, the Rev. Donald Perryman, Rachel Gagnon, Joseph Corfman, Timothy Meyer, Dan Dergham Ridi, Kathy Vasquez, and Jim Walrod II. All but Mr. Walrod were present at the meeting Thursday.
Ms. Vasquez, one of the board’s members, expressed her continued confidence in the organization after the executive session.
“From the information I have learned here, this is a good organization, and it operates efficiently, appropriately, and within the limits of what is allowed by law ... and exhibits exceptional child welfare practice that is good, and we should be proud,” she said.
On March 17, before Keimani was reported missing, the agency put out a news release promoting a career expo. In the release, Mr. Muth said LCCS was “no exception” to the shortage of child protection caseworkers in Ohio.
According to a spokesman, LCCS served 11,808 children and 4,635 families in 2024, managing a monthly average of 834 children in its custody. The organization investigated nearly 4,479 child abuse and neglect referrals, resulting in 1,564 confirmed victims and 383 opened cases.
LCCS received half of its funding from the agency’s levy, and the remaining from federal and state sources in 2023 — 37 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
Lucas County voters narrowly approved a new five-year, $1.5 million levy for the agency in November. A separate five-year, $1.8 million levy will expire this year, and minutes of the board’s February meeting show the board is considering strategies for its renewal.
Mr. Gerken said the agency is ultimately accountable to the commissioners for its operations. If the board does not vote to ask the county to create the task force there will be a “different set of circumstances,” but he said it has not yet reached that point.
“Our job is to help make sure there’s a functioning child-service system, and we’ve always done that through LCCS,” he said. “At the end of the day, we are responsible to make sure there’s a functioning system.”
The county has created task forces previously to investigate “troubled or under-scrutinized agencies,” under the commissioners’ purview, Mr. Gerken said. Task forces have evaluated the Toledo Zoo, the county’s mental health and recovery services board, TARTA, and the county health department.
“The community is demanding some answers. Whose fault it is right now is not our issue. Our issue is to put in a credible task force of people around the community that are trusted to start a systematic review,” he said.
First Published March 27, 2025, 4:02 p.m.
