protective custody

noun

: a safe place under police watch
The witness is in protective custody.

Examples of protective custody in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After Belenko completed an interview with U.S. officials, he was put in protective custody and lived on the ranch for several years, a news release said. Tj MacIas, Idaho Statesman, 2 July 2024 Police notified the Department of Children and Families, and the boy was in protective custody as of Thursday afternoon, De Andrade said. Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2024 A week later then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced an investigation into Noah's death and said that the child lived with his parents and three siblings, who were taken into protective custody, the station reported. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 1 May 2024 The decision came after an associate planning to testify against the rapper entered protective custody following document leaks on blogs identified him as a witness. Zoe Guy, Vulture, 11 June 2024 Eventually, the man was taken into protective custody without incident. Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2024 The girl and her siblings were placed in protective custody, the sheriff’s office said. Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2024 The Placer County Sheriff’s Office took three children into protective custody after authorities found them in an apartment with fentanyl, leading to the arrest two Roseville men in connection to endangering the children. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024 Police took the baby into protective custody, and the boy was eventually released into the custody of his mother. Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'protective custody.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Protective custody.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protective%20custody. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.

Legal Definition

protective custody

see custody sense c

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