Sheriffs' Office - A Child Is Missing

A Child Is Missing Program

Every 40 seconds a child is reported missing in the U.S.

1,000 telephone alert calls placed in 60 seconds can help save a life.

Since 1997, A Child Is Missing has been providing law enforcement with its first responder program. A Child Is Missing's rapid response telephone system alerts residents in a targeted area about a missing child, elderly person (suffering from Alzheimer's), college students, and mentally challenged or disabled individual. This program will be serving all 50 states by the end of2006. We are currently available in FL, RI, AK, OH, GA, NV, IN, OK, Ml, WV, AL, MA, NH, ME, VT, TN, TX, UT, W A, SC, IL, CA, AR, MO, LA, WI, VA, SO, NO, MT, PA, ID, MO, OR, CT, KS, WY, NE, NM, IA, and WY.

A Child Is Missing program is given to law enforcement at no cost. Financial support is obtained through state and federal funding and grants.

Only law enforcement can activate the program.

It works like this: An officer calls A Child Is Missing, operating 24/7-365, providing pertinent information about the missing person, including description, clothes worn, and time/place last seen.

A Child is Missing technician records an individual alert message, which is phoned out to the area where the child was last seen. With its high-tech telephony, A Child Is Missing can place up to 1,000 calls in 60 seconds. There is a 98 percent listen rate by residents or businesses answering phones. Call recipients are asked to call police with any information they have about the missing person.

Since 1997, A Child Is Missing has received more than 10,000 calls for assistance from law enforcement and has placed nearly 11 million alert calls to residents.

A Child Is Missing works in concert with Amber Alert and all child safety programs.

A Child Is Missing is the only program of its kind in the country.

A Child Is Missing program should not be confused with the Amber Alert, which is designed for stranger abductions, geographically removed from area of disappearance.

A Child Is Missing has very few restrictions and can be activated by one simple phone call.

Law enforcement needs no special equipment or personnel to activate A Child Is Missing.

In the past 49 (4/4/06) months, law enforcement has credited A Child Is Missing with 140 successful recoveries. The case follow-up sheets have documented this. The average recovery time has been 90 minutes from placing alert calls.

A Child Is Missing stands ready 24/7,365 days to assist law enforcement agencies large and small, in the search/early recovery procedure.

Please visit the A Child Is Missing website: www.achildismissing.org.

How the program works

Parent 911 (Police) ACIM Phone Calls to Residents Leads back to SO/PD's.

"This project was supported by Grant #2003-JS-FX-0026 Awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice."