This is a hard topic for me to try to explain, having two children myself. I see the terror and fear in parent’s faces when I arrive after they call. They can not find their child who was just playing outside moments earlier. On the report of a missing child, here is what usually happens.

Your child is playing out front; you periodically look outside to check on them. A few moments go by, maybe longer since you were doing laundry. You don’t hear the happy playing kids voices anymore from out front so you go to check. You see a few kids down the street but not yours. Its 5:00 p.m. you look around the house, in the yard, call out their name, and no answer. You go back out front, and figure he went to his friend’s house. Your child, (lets say who is 5 yrs. old), usually answers up by now.

You go to his friend’s house and sure enough, his friend is there, but not your son. His friend says that your son stayed out front after he had to go in for dinner. You start to worry, but no panic yet. He’s got to be around. It’s dusk now, about 5:40.

You check the yard and house again, and now start walking up and down the street calling his name. No answer. A neighbor child tells you that a strange car with a man in it was asking the kids earlier if they had seen a lost dog. Panic begins to creep in now, should you call the police? He has always come home before; you’ll give him another 10 minutes. You call every friend he has, no luck. It’s dark now, and around 6:15. You’re getting bad thoughts now and panic has arrived. You finally make the 911 call. The dispatcher asks you information about your child, his height, hair, eye color, and the clothing that they were wearing. OH GOD, you’re so nervous that you can’t remember what he was wearing.

When the police car arrives out front, and the officer gets out of the car alone, without your child, panic is in full swing. Thinking that the worst has happened to your child, you burst into tears. The officer asks you information about your child, his friends, favorite places to go, hiding spots. The officer checks your house, yard, and car even though you said you already checked. The officer has called other officers into the area to begin an area check in the neighborhood. If available, a helicopter may even be brought in. Its now almost 7:00.

As police search for your child, the officer may ask for detailed information on your child such as who their dentist or doctor is and if any recent photos have been taken. The officer may even have you sign a release for dental x-rays in case they are needed to identify a body. (A standard question in a missing person report) Now, panic is in full swing.

Suddenly you hear the crackle of the police radio that a juvenile matching your son’s description has been found a few blocks away at a local park. It seems like hours (but actually only 3 minutes) for the officer to drive up. You are on the verge of a nervous breakdown as the officer opens the door and lifts out a small child. You cry out in joy as you see that it is your son. You run up and grab your son, almost squeezing the air out of him as you hug him, angry that he walked away but thankful that he is safe. You thank the police officers, thank god, and walk into your house with your son. Its 7:30 now, 2 1/2 hrs. since your child wandered off.

Luckily, in my city, that is the usual outcome to a missing juvenile call. Most of the calls I get dispatched to are either runaway juveniles, or a lost child who is often found after a short but emotion filled intense search. What if the above example continued on without the child being found? Bloodhounds along with search and rescue teams will be called out, all available police units will be mobilized for a search, organizations (usually volunteer) who deal with missing or abducted children will be contacted to assist with volunteers, flyers, searches and the media. The media can be helpful in getting the child’s photo out. I can only imagine the feelings of fear and emptiness that go through a parent’s head upon the realization that your child is really missing, REALLY gone. I have lost my kids before for a few minutes and I get panicked in that short time. I can’t imagine the pain of hours, days, or months going by, not knowing where a child could be. But it does happen. Some parents have to go through that emotional roller coaster. My heart goes out to them.

Most kidnappings or abductions are usually parental abductions, or a custody dispute. Still illegal, but very common.

The other type is the most feared type. Stranger abductions. Whether for sexual gratification, a wanted child of their own, or a sick self-gratification, the result is the same. Your child is in danger, and time is critical. Here are some tips to avoid losing your child to a kidnapper, and some things to remember that can help the police if your child does become a victim.

See all the tips – Click Below:
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Cell phones. Almost everybody has them these days. People make those “just have to” phone calls from the supermarket, the bank, the ballgame, and most frequently from their vehicles. Used in moderation Cellular phones are a great convenience. Used carelessly they can offer you great inconvenience.

They are a big time consuming inconvenience to us because we have to take timely reports when:

You lose your phone.
Your phone gets stolen.
Your phone number gets cloned and you get a $800.00 bill next month.
And most frequently, when you take your eyes off the road and get into an accident!

Happens everyday. Time and time again.

Officer, I just set it down for a second next to the coffee isle in the store. No one could have taken it; there was nobody around!

What this lady really meant to say, is that she set her phone down while shopping, went through the check out stand, and discovered her phone missing while driving home. Thirty minutes later she returns to the store and not only can she not remember where she set it down, she can’t describe what kind it was, and has no idea what the model or serial number was.

I have to smile and say, That’s a real shame. But what I’m really wondering is why this lady is even wasting my time on a “go-nowhere” report when I could be out keeping an eye on the rush hour traffic reminding people to slow down so they get home in one piece. A kid down the street rips off a stereo from a department store and the manager mutters “there’s never a cop around when you need one.”

After I apologize for the lengthy response time, I mutter “If that stupid lady had kept her phone in her purse and not put it up for grabs, I could have been here a whole lot quicker.” I might have even been driving through the lot and noticed a suspicious kid hanging around and stopped a crime before it happened!

You leave your phone on the front seat of your car still plugged into the cigarette lighter. The 2 in the morning burglars that cruise your neighborhood (that you never see) will smash your window, alarm system or not, and be gone in less than 30 seconds. With your phone! By why would they have to smash your window, 9 out of 10 times the car door is left unlocked! Yes, we have very happy burglars in my city.
Use your phone for urgent calls, or for EMERGENCIES! When you are done with the phone, put it back in your purse, or on your belt, or in the glove box, but DON’T LEAVE IT OUT IN THE OPEN!

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