Richton Park Police Look to Respond Faster to 9-1-1 Calls Involving Missing and Exploited Children
In a proactive effort to respond quicker to emergency 9-1-1 calls involving missing and sexually exploited children, the Village of Richton Park Police have partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) 9-1-1 Call Center.
According to its website, The NCMEC opened in 1984 to serve as the nation's clearinghouse on issues related to missing and sexually exploited children. Today NCMEC is authorized by Congress to perform 19 programs and services to assist law enforcement, families and the professionals who serve them.
As first responders to missing and sexually exploited children calls, members of the Richton Park Police department along with members of the SouthCom Regional Dispatch Center (Southcom) completed the necessary training that equipped them with best practices on handling each unique case properly and immediately.
Currently SouthCom provides fire, police and emergency medical dispatching services for the Villages of Matteson, Olympia Fields, Park Forest and Richton Park. The service area covers over 1,923 square miles within Cook and Will Counties and serves a population of approximately 65,000 citizens. SouthCom dispatched 65,155 calls for service and answered over 119,000 phone calls in 2010.
The two groups will also alert the public with information on what to do in the case of a missing child which includes the following:
1. Immediately call your local law enforcement agency.
2. After you have reported your child missing to law enforcement, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
3. If your child is missing from home, search through: *Closets.
*Piles of laundry.
*In and under beds.
*Inside large appliances.
*Vehicles - including trunks.
*Anywhere else that a child may crawl or hide.
4. Notify the store manager or security office if your child cannot be found when in a store. Then immediately call your local law enforcement agency. Many stores have a Code Adam plan of action in place.
Every year 800,000 children go missing in the United States. That's more than 2,000 children per day. Calls about missing and sexually exploited children can become high profile events that have a devastating impact on the victim's family, your community, and your call center. Every 9-1-1 call center must have in place policies and training to help ensure every missing and sexually exploited child is given the best chance to be found alive and unharmed.
The NCMEC is encouraging all Emergency Call Centers to become a NCMEC 9-1-1 Call Center Partner in order to obtain the skills and resources needed to respond to calls pertaining to missing and/or exploited children. To learn more about the 9-1-1 Partner Program, visit www.missingkids.com/911.
By Lee Edwards
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