Missing Child Clearinghouse

The Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse 2008 Annual Report INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW Created in 1993, the Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse acts as a central repository of information about children missing in Ohio and distributes information to law enforcement and other interested parties pursuant to Ohio Revised Code 109.65(B). The Clearinghouse also assists searches for missing children, creates public awareness and develops and disseminates educational information about missing and abducted children through press releases, training, child abuse prevention safety fairs and child safety lesson plans through the Ohio Department of Education. In recent years, the Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse has begun to address problems such as human trafficking, missing adults and the identification of unclaimed human remains. The Clearinghouse has a toll-free hotline, (800) 325-5604, to answer calls from law enforcement, parents, community members and the media. Clearinghouse staff members answer the hotline Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) staffers answer the phones after hours, on weekends and on holidays. The Clearinghouse also maintains a Web site, www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/mcc, which provides resources to the public and displays posters of missing children. In addition to the Web site, Clearinghouse staffers assist law enforcement and parents in the search for missing children by: • Issuing alerts. • Using technology to help locate children, including social Web sites, public records and law enforcement databases. • Training law enforcement, other professionals and the public. • Providing investigative guidance and assistance.1

1

 If a child goes missing, the parent(s) should immediately contact local law enforcement. If contacted, the Clearinghouse will take a supplemental report. The Clearinghouse also will verify that the child has been entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computer by the law enforcement agency and recommend the parent(s) contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to file a report. 1

STATISTICS The Clearinghouse receives monthly statistics on Ohio children reported missing to law enforcement agencies.2 In 2008, the Clearinghouse documented 22,402 reports of missing children. Of those, 21,744 children, or 97%, were reported recovered. One child was recovered deceased. Reported Missing Children in Ohio for 2008 AMBER Alert Runaway Family Abduction Non-Family Abduction Non-Family Abduction – International Lost, Injured or Otherwise Missing TOTAL

13 11,498 60 3 4 10,824 22,402

FAMILY ABDUCTION: In violation of a custody order, a decree or other legitimate custodial rights, a member of the child’s family or someone acting on behalf of a family member takes and fails to return the child, and the child is concealed and transported out of the state. LOST, INJURED or OTHERWISE MISSING: This is a case in which a child’s whereabouts are unknown to the child’s caretaker. This worries the caretaker for at least one hour and prompts the caretaker to locate the child. RUNAWAY: A child leaves home without permission and stays away overnight. NON-FAMILY ABDUCTION: A non-family member takes or detains a child by the use of physical force or the threat of bodily harm for at least one hour in an isolated place without lawful authority or parental permission; or, a child who is younger than 15 years old, or is mentally incompetent, is taken, detained by or voluntarily accompanies without a lawful order or parental permission a non-family member who conceals the child’s whereabouts, demands ransom or intends to keep the child permanently. AMBER ALERT: A child is abducted; his case meets the Amber Alert criteria if: 1) The child is under 18 years of age; 2) abduction poses credible threat of immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death; 3) a law enforcement agency determines child is not a runaway and has not been abducted as a result of a child custody dispute, unless the dispute poses a credible threat of serious bodily harm or death to the child; and 4) sufficient descriptive information about the child, the abductor and the circumstances indicate that activation of the alert will help locate the child.

2

This information is based upon missing children entries in the NCIC computer. Not all missing children are entered into NCIC. For example, a child may be recovered before the entry is made. 2

Missing Ohio children by age: 2008 Summary by Age Age 0 to 5 years old

140

Age 6 to 12 years old

727

Age 13          to 17 years old

13,383

Age above 17 years old

8,110

Age unknown

42 Total

            22,402

Missing children by Ohio county:

County

2008

County

2008

County

Adams Allen Ashland Ashtabula Athens Auglaize Belmont Brown Butler Carroll Champaign Clark Clermont Clinton Columbiana Coshocton Crawford Cuyahoga Darke Defiance Delaware Erie Fairfield Fayette Franklin Fulton Gallia Geauga Greene Guernsey

20 227 42 100 76 18 50 27 452 16 36 460 947 14 77 14 52 3292 54 25 72 164 177 16 5433 25 33 18 136 22

Hamilton Hancock Hardin Harrison Henry Highland Hocking Holmes Huron Jackson Jefferson Knox Lake Lawrence Licking Logan Lorain Lucas Madison Mahoning Marion Medina Meigs Mercer Miami Monroe Montgomery Morgan Morrow Muskingum

1695 65 25 7 7 20 7 12 61 11 29 42 270 1 162 35 621 1627 50 475 120 111 8 13 111 2 1063 8 30 48

Noble Ottawa Paulding Perry Pickaway Pike Portage Preble Putnam Richland Ross Sandusky Scioto Seneca Shelby Stark Summit Trumbull Tuscarawas Union Van Wert Vinton Warren Washington Wayne Williams Wood Wyandot Unknown

3

2008 0 11 13 36 85 23 94 25 15 447 101 27 73 148 103 677 851 264 57 36 15 8 99 24 127 24 50 5 134

           MISSING CHILDREN Ohio’s statewide AMBER (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert Plan was launched Jan. 1, 2003.3 Since then, 24 local/regional plans also have been formed across Ohio. Amber Alert is a critical missing child response program that utilizes the resources of law enforcement and media to notify the public when children are kidnapped. Below are some of the steps taken during an Ohio Amber Alert. • Law enforcement receives initial call of missing child and responds to the scene. • Law enforcement confirms the missing child’s case meets Amber Alert criteria. • The abduction poses a credible, immediate threat of serious bodily harm or death to a child. • The child is not a runaway and has not been abducted as a result of a child custody dispute, unless the dispute poses a credible, immediate threat of serious bodily harm or death to the child. • There is sufficient descriptive information about the child, the abductor and the circumstances surrounding the abduction to indicate that the alert will help locate the child. • Law enforcement issues radio broadcast to all neighboring law enforcement agencies and enters the child into the National Crime Information Computer. The FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Clearinghouse are notified of the alert. • Law enforcement and broadcasters use the Emergency Alert System to air a description of the missing child and suspected abductor. • E-mails, faxes and cell phone text messages are sent to all the partners, including law enforcement, companies and citizens signed up to receive the alerts. • The information is posted on the Amber Alert Plan Web site: www.ohioamberplan.org. • The (877) AMBER-OH phone number is activated. The general public can call this number to report a tip or listen to the Amber Alert description. In 2008, there were 12 separate Amber Alerts issued. Of these, one alert was for two children. All 13 children were recovered safely. The Clearinghouse sits on the Amber Alert Steering Committee and provides the computer software – located on the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway – that is used to issue Amber Alerts to the media, partners and the public. The Clearinghouse also assists with training in Amber Alert procedures and best practices. In 2008, 526 law enforcement personnel, media representatives, 3

 The alert is named after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman who was kidnapped and murdered in 1996 in Dallas, TX. 4

emergency management staff, children’s services administrators and victim advocates attended Clearinghouse workshops.

AMBER Alert Success Stories •

On Feb. 10, 2008, at approximately 6:10 p.m., the Trotwood Police Department, in coordination with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, issued an Amber Alert for a 5week-old male infant. The infant was abducted from his mother’s home that morning by the infant’s non-custodial father. The father fled in his vehicle, holding the infant while a large pit bull was by his side. Less than two hours after the Amber Alert was broadcast, authorities received a tip. The infant was recovered safely that evening in an apartment seven-and-a-half miles from the abduction site. The suspect was arrested and charged with abduction.

•

On June 2, 2008, at about midnight, the Wilmington Police Department issued an Amber Alert for an 11-year-old male. The suspect, the child’s biological but non-custodial mother, was a bipolar schizophrenic with violent tendencies who had been off medication for months. A witness heard the alert and contacted law enforcement. The child was recovered safely approximately two miles from where she was abducted. The suspect was arrested and charged with abduction.

•

On June 15, 2008, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office issued an Amber Alert for two girls, aged 7 and 8. The children were last seen in Uhrichsville at approximately 12 p.m. The suspect was a 35-year-old male, and, upon hearing the alert, his family began searching places they knew the suspect frequented. The family located the suspect’s vehicle and called 911. The children were recovered safely at approximately 10:20 p.m. The suspect was arrested and charged with kidnapping, rape, gross sexual imposition, fleeing and eluding.

Missing Child Alert For a missing child who meets all of the Amber Alert criteria except that law enforcement cannot  determine that the child was abducted, the Clearinghouse may issue a Missing Child Alert in  response to a local law enforcement request. This will alert all law enforcement agencies in Ohio  and the media, activate the local Child Abduction Response Team (CART) and use secondary  notification systems to get the information out to the public. In 2008, the Clearinghouse issued  seven Missing Child Alerts. All children were recovered safely.  Trucker Alert On Jan. 16, 2004, the Attorney General’s Office – in coordination with the Buckeye State  Sheriffs’ Association and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police – launched the Truckers   Helping to Recover Ohio’s Missing Children advisory, an initiative that provides an advisory that  can be issued with or without an AMBER alert. As part of the advisory, the Clearinghouse  5

provides the child’s information to all of the participating trucking companies within the local or regional area that law enforcement designates. The companies then post the information in their drivers’ lounges and dispatch offices and include the information in dispatches. The Ohio Trucking Association was the first to sign up for this initiative, but many organizations and companies have since joined. In 2008, the Clearinghouse issued 28 trucker alerts. All children were recovered safely.

National Missing Children’s Day The Clearinghouse promotes National Missing Children’s Day, which is held May 25 to raise awareness about missing children across the nation. Public agencies statewide are encouraged to hold events to promote child safety, fingerprint children or take their photographs. Contacts at local law enforcement agencies are provided when appropriate. The Department of Justice sponsors a national poster contest and announces the winner at the annual National Missing Children’s Day Ceremony in Washington, D.C. In 2008, the Clearinghouse distributed approximately 1,000 child safety brochures and commemorative lapel pins in downtown Columbus. A reception and two balloon releases were held at elementary schools in Newton Falls, and approximately 1,200 balloons were released with tags listing missing children and the date they went missing. For the 2008 poster contest, the Ohio winners were: 1st place, Holly Ritter of Hinckley Elementary (shown below); 2nd place, Kayleen Roberts of London Elementary; and, 3rd place, Jason Martini of St. Aloysius on the Ohio. “The poster that I created has a

magnifying glass on it to remind people that we are always looking for missing children,” Ritter said. “The hands in the border show that everyone should work together to find children and the hearts represent the never-ending love families have for their missing children. The Amber Alert sign and words of encouragement are written all over the poster to keep up the spirits of families who are missing children. The world is in a shape of a heart to show that all around the world missing children are thought of and loved.” 6

Also in conjunction with the 2008 National Missing Children’s Day, the Trumbull County CART (Child Abduction Response Team) held a mock abduction practice exercise on May 17. This was the first mock abduction in Ohio since the inception of the CART program in March 2006. The scenario lasted six hours and more than 100 people participated. MISSING ADULTS Missing Adult Alert Section 5502.522 of the Ohio Revised Code creates a statewide emergency alert program to aid in the identification and location of missing adults who are endangered, mental impaired or 65 or older. The Missing Adult Alert was developed in response to several incidents across the country and in Ohio involving older adults or adults with mental impairments who become missing. Although local agencies and media outlets worked together in these incidents, there was no coordinated effort or resource center to ensure a widespread alert was issued to garner the public’s assistance in the search. Beginning in June 2008, the Ohio Missing Adult Alert Program has been available to all law enforcement agencies throughout Ohio. The Missing Adult Alert is administrated by the Ohio Amber Alert Steering Committee in coordination with the Clearinghouse. The criteria for the Missing Adult Alert are as follows: • Law enforcement confirms the person is missing. • The individual is 65 or older or has a mental impairment. • The individual faces a credible threat of serious bodily harm or death. • There is sufficient descriptive information about the individual and the circumstances surrounding the individual’s disappearance to indicate that the alert will help locate the person. During an alert, the Missing Adult Alert Web site, www.missingadults.Ohio.gov, lists information about the missing adult as well as a photo. A toll-free number, (866) 693-9171, is activated to provide information and receive tips. The Clearinghouse makes notifications via faxes, e-mail and highway billboards. The Child Abduction Response Team (CART) is also available to assist with locating the missing adult. In 2008, 31 Missing Adult Alerts were issued; 27 people were recovered safely and four were recovered deceased. One person was murdered before an alert was issued. 2008 Missing Adult Alert Success Stories • On July 30, 2008, at approximately 9:20 p.m., the Darke County Sheriff’s Office issued a  Missing Adult Alert for a 71­year­old male. The man was last seen at his residence in  Arcanum at 6:45 a.m. He was on his way to a doctor’s appointment in Dayton. The man had  congestive heart failure and was a severe diabetic. The man was located around 1:20 a.m. on  July 31, 2008, walking in Greenville. He was located after the Darke County Sheriff’s Office  was called by an individual who saw the alert and observed the man walking along a  roadway. 7

•

On Sept. 6, 2008 at approximately 6 p.m., the Whitehall Police Department issued a Missing  Adult Alert for a 50­year­old male. The man was mildly mentally retarded, had depression  and was subject to seizures. The man left home and didn’t take his medication with him. An  individual saw the man’s picture on the news and then spotted him on a bridge in Columbus.  The individual called 911, and the man was recovered safely at 12:25 p.m. on Sept. 7.

•

On Nov. 26, the Valley View Police Department issued a Missing Adult Alert for a 73­year­ old man who required daily medication to deal with several health problems. The man was  supposed to fly to Florida to visit relatives, but he never went to the airport. The man  subsequently was found safe at a local hospital. Employees of the hospital had contacted  family members after seeing the alert.

COLLABORATION I-SEARCH The Clearinghouse participates in the InterState Enforcement Agencies to Recover Children (I-SEARCH) Advisory Council. The council aids in the identification and recovery of missing children. The 13 midwestern members are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Currently, the Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse manager serves as President of I-SEARCH. Ohio CART Ohio CART (Child Abduction Response Team), www.lef-oh.org/carthm.html, is a network of trained public safety and other individuals from various agencies, jurisdictions and disciplines who are prepared to respond to specific “at risk” missing, endangered or abducted children. Ohio CART was first developed in 2006 by the Association of Chiefs of Police, Ohio Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association, Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Amber Alert Steering Committee in collaboration with the Clearinghouse. There are 33 local or regional CART Teams across Ohio that are ready to be activated should a child become missing or abducted. Since early 2007, Ohio CART – with the active involvement of the Clearinghouse manager – has conducted one-day trainings across eight Ohio regions. Ohio CART has trained more than 1,500 people, developed additional CART teams and created a Web site and promotional brochure. 8

Additionally, several teams have conducted mock exercises. Ohio CART is now receiving inquiries from other states requesting assistance in organizing. NamUs The Clearinghouse participates in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System work group. NamUs is the first national online repository  for records of missing people and for records pertaining to unidentified  human remains. It was launched in July 2007 by the Office of Justice Programs to address the estimated 40,000 unidentified bodies held at coroner and medical examiner’s offices across the United States. The database will be a central repository for coroners and medical examiners to enter an individual unidentified remains record. The missing people database will be cross-checked with the unidentified remains database to identify the remains. DNA submissions will be added and crosschecked. Families of missing people may also submit DNA to aid in the identification of remains. Cold Case Videos - In partnership with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, and in conjunction with the families of missing children and law enforcement from across Ohio, the Clearinghouse is producing a series of video segments about missing children cold cases. These will be shown to prisoners in the hope that they may generate new information about these cases. ASSISTANCE TO THE PUBLIC Web Site The Clearinghouse web page, www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/mcc, provides the following valuable information: • Steps to take if a child is missing. • Photographs/posters of missing Ohio children. • Annual reports. • Publications and safety tips. • Fingerprint identification cards and game sheets. • Links to Ohio’s Amber Alert Plan, training information, other state clearinghouses and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Child Recovery Success Story On June 9, 2008, the Clearinghouse was contacted by the great aunt of a runaway 14-yearold girl from Cleveland. The Clearinghouse gave her the name of a non-profit organization in Cleveland that helps locate missing people. The Clearinghouse then created a missing child poster for the girl, and local media aired the story. The runaway saw herself on television and returned home because “everyone” was looking for her and because she saw her poster on the Clearinghouse Web site. Training In 2008, the Clearinghouse gave presentations and provided workshops to approximately 750 law enforcement officers, community members, teachers, children’s services providers and 9

others about Amber Alert, first responder programs, resources, Internet safety, CART, child safety prevention and human trafficking. Calls In 2008, the Clearinghouse responded to more than 3,800 calls from law enforcement, families of missing children, state and federal agencies, and others on various issues related to missing children. Child Fingerprinting Cards The Clearinghouse provides law enforcement agencies and schools with free child fingerprint ID cards to be used at local events they sponsor throughout the state. Child Recovery Success Story On Aug. 14, 2008, the Clearinghouse was contacted to assist with a 14-year-old runaway girl from Cleveland who had been missing for almost a year. The Clearinghouse found that the runaway had a MySpace account in her name. From the information posted on her page, the Clearinghouse discovered that the girl was staying at a friend’s house in the Cleveland area and going to a local high school there. The Clearinghouse contacted the school resource officer at the school, and the girl was recovered safe.

Ohio Citizens Alert Network (CAN) The public can play a vital part in the recovery of missing children by subscribing to CAN on Ohio’s AMBER Alert Web site, www.OhioAmberPlan.org. Subscribers are notified of missing children through texts and e-mails. A downloadable screensaver featuring missing children and a desktop pop-up Amber Alert message are available as additional tools. ASSISTANCE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER AGENCIES Training In 2008, the Clearinghouse conducted trainings for law enforcement across Ohio, including at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. Recruits, juvenile officers, new sheriffs and trainers were trained on missing children investigations, safety tips for children, AMBER Alert protocol and initiating other missing children alerts. Investigative Assistance During missing children investigations, the Clearinghouse assists law enforcement by using online research tools, posting the child’s photo on the Clearinghouse Web site and advising law enforcement of available resources. The Clearinghouse utilizes online public record search tools to locate addresses, neighbors, family members, telephone numbers and professional licenses of people associated with the missing child. The Clearinghouse is also able to analyze information from law enforcement records to see if the child has been incarcerated, taken into the custody of Child Protective Services, obtained a new drivers license or state ID card or has otherwise had contact with law enforcement agencies. The Clearinghouse also has access to many different 10

social networking Web sites where missing children may have posted profiles. The information can provide clues about children’s whereabouts, reasons for their disappearances and information on friends and contacts. The Clearinghouse also posts missing children photos on both the Clearinghouse and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Web sites. In 2008, the Clearinghouse posted 475 photos on posters. These photos are in addition to the previously-detailed Amber, Missing Child and Trucker alerts. Together, these efforts generate tips that are directed to the investigating law enforcement agency. Finally, the Clearinghouse provides investigative guidance to law enforcement in the form of cell phone tracking information, satellite photos, direction on legal issues, CART assistance and alert procedures. The Clearinghouse will also recommend, depending upon the case, other state and national resources that are available to the law enforcement agency. Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG) The Ohio Attorney General’s OHLEG is a one-stop, Web-based crime-fighting and information tool that provides Ohio law enforcement agencies with a single location for information on missing children. All missing child data input by law enforcement through the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS) are automatically transmitted to OHLEG, where law enforcement can use it to quickly disseminate important details to the public by creating missingchild posters and generating missing children advisories. Another powerful function of the application is that law enforcement may use the embedded electronic Sex Offender Registration and Notification (eSORN) mapping tool to pinpoint registered sex offenders in the area where the child went missing. Ohio Department of Health The Clearinghouse and the Ohio Department of Health flags and holds the birth certificates of missing children and notifies law enforcement when a subsequent request is made for the child’s birth certificate. Lost Child Alert Technology Resource (LOCATER) In 2008, the Clearinghouse staff used the web-based Locater system to aid in the creation and dissemination of 742 posters of missing children to other state clearinghouses, law enforcement agencies in Ohio and throughout the nation. Locater posters can be viewed on the Clearinghouse Web site as printable images. eOPOTA The online eOPOTA (electronic Ohio Police Officer Training Academy) training course, available to law enforcement officers, examines missing children statistics, explains the missing children resources available to Ohio law enforcement and presents interactive scenarios. OTHER ASSISTANCE 11

Internet Safety The Clearinghouse helps educate children, law enforcement and the general public about responsible use of the Internet. In 2008, 9,369 children and almost 500 parents were trained on Internet safety, including safe surfing, predators and social networking Web sites. Human Trafficking Human trafficking is modern­day slavery, and it is a growing criminal industry around the world.  According to the United Nations, traffickers generate billions of dollars in profit each year at the  expense of millions of victims who are forced or coerced into labor or exploited sexually. Victims  can be U.S. citizens or from any corner of the globe and of any race or socioeconomic group. In a  2007 report, the Rand Corporation cited Toledo as a major hub for human trafficking. The Clearinghouse is a member of the Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition on human  trafficking, www.CentralOhioRescueandRestore.org. In 2008, in conjunction with the coalition,  and on its own at various conferences and events, the Clearinghouse trained hundreds of law  enforcement officers, victim advocates and social workers on human trafficking. 

LEGISLATION Responsibilities of Law Enforcement Under Ohio Revised Code 2901.30, law enforcement is required to • • • • • • •

Take missing children reports and investigate promptly. Enter information about missing children into the National Crime Information Center. Notify the missing children’s parents, guardians, custodians or caregivers of updates. Notify other law enforcement agencies of missing children reports. Assist other law enforcement agencies in the investigation of missing children cases. Obtain dental records of children missing for more than 30 days. Enter information on found children into the NCIC computer.

Recent Ohio Legislation Statewide Emergency Alert Program In 2008, the Legislature created the Statewide Emergency Alert Program to aid in the identification and location of missing people who have a mental impairment or are 65 or older. It establishes the following activation criteria for the program: (1) the local investigating law enforcement agency confirms that the individual is missing, (2) the individual is 65 or older or has a mental impairment, (3) the person faces a credible threat of serious bodily harm or death and (4) there is sufficient descriptive information about the individual and the circumstances surrounding the individual's disappearance to indicate that activation of the alert will help locate the individual.

12

The legislation, Senate Bill 87, also requires that readily available information about a missing person less than 18 years old be integrated into the National Crime Information Center computer immediately, rather than within 12 hours, following the making of a report on the missing person. Further, it requires that information about a missing person who is at least 18 but less than 21 be made available (1) immediately, rather than within a specified number of days depending on whether the missing person is a victim of foul play, and (2) through the NCIC rather than through the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS). Finally, SB 87 requires that information about a missing person who is 21 years of age or older be made available through the National Crime Information Center rather than through LEADS. School cooperation with missing children investigations Also in 2008, the Legislature required each public and nonpublic school to mark the records of a student when the school receives notice from law enforcement that the student has been reported missing and to notify law enforcement whenever it receives a request for the records. The legislation, House Bill 181, also specifies that cooperation among law enforcement agencies in missing children cases will be in accordance with agreements the law enforcement agencies have with each other. NATIONAL RESOURCES AND PARTNERS The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), www.missingkids.com, (800) THE-LOST, helps prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation, find missing children and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families and the professionals who serve them.

The National Runaway Switchboard, www.1800runaway.org, is the federally-designated national communication system for homeless and runaway youth. NRS provides crisis intervention, referrals to local resources and education and prevention services to youth, families and community members throughout the country. The switchboard is well known for its Home Free Program. In conjunction with Greyhound and United Airlines, Home Free provides a free ticket home to runaways without money. A Child Is Missing, Inc. (ACIM), www.achildismissing.org, provides its first responder program to law enforcement. The program’s rapid response telephone system alerts residents in a targeted area about a missing child, elderly person, or mentally impaired or disabled individual. This program serves several states, including Ohio. A Child Is Missing works in concert with Amber Alert and all child safety programs. Only law enforcement can utilize the program. No special equipment or personnel are needed to activate ACIM, and the program is free.

13

Code Adam, one of the nation’s largest child-safety programs, was created by Wal-Mart to assist businesses and public facilities in preventing a child from being abducted and removed from the premises. The Code Adam program was named in memory of 6year-old Adam Walsh, whose 1981 abduction and murder brought the horror of child abduction to national attention. It lays out a series of steps in the event that a child is reported missing in a store or similar location. All Ohio agencies, schools, libraries, law enforcement agencies and retailers are encouraged to promote Code Adam. Team HOPE: Help Offering Parents Empowerment, (866) 305-HOPE, www.teamhope.org, assists families with missing children by offering counseling, resources, empowerment and support from trained volunteers who have or have had missing children.

14