What to do when a child goes missing

The business of your friendly neighborhood blockwatch quickly can
become deadly serious.
"For a moment, I want you to stop and
think of the names of all the children that have gone missing over the
past couple of years," Groveport Police Chief Ralph Portier said, as
Northland area blockwatch captains and coordinators gathered for their
regular meeting April 20.
It didn't take long for the residents
to come up with names, and images, of missing children -- Emily Rimel
here in Columbus, Elizabeth Smart in Utah, and Amber Hagerman, whose
abduction and murder in Texas sparked the national Amber Alert movement,
just a few among all too many.
Columbus Police Northland Liaison
Officer Scott Clinger recalled searching a Columbus south side
neighborhood for then 3-year old Cody Stepp.
Cody was last seen playing in a neighbor's backyard on Hosack
Street at approximately 7 p.m. March 11, 1997. He has never been heard
from again, according to information from the Charley Project.
"It is tough on these families," Clinger said.
Portier is called in to assist with missing child cases by law enforcement agencies around
the state, Clinger said. He shared his expertise at last week's
blockwatch meeting, held at the Columbus Police Strategic Response
Bureau.
The most important steps need to be
taken immediately once it is discovered a child is missing.

> "As soon as your child is missing, call us," Portier said. "Time is the
greatest problem we have. If we're notified within the first
three hours, we can find most of these children," he said.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, nearly
800,000 children are reported missing annually. These children are
broken down into four categories -- runaways, children who are lost or
missing, a family member abduction and a non-family member abduction.

"A very small percentage of children are abducted by strangers," Portier
said. "86 to 90 percent of them are abducted by someone they know," he
said, citing their father, brother or family friend as examples.

"If you waste an hour -- how far has he gone," Portier asked rhetorically.
"Hopefully, he's asleep in the laundry basket with the clean towels
because they are warm and smell nice."

> Once police are called, start searching, but be ready to talk to an officer, he said.

> "Limit access to your home, because police will need to consider your home a
crime scene," he said. But, keep the home phone line clear, in case the
child tries to call home.

Computers, answering machines, voice mail and photos all
also important keys to finding missing children, he
said. "Don't give us the picture of your child in a prom dress,"
Portier said, and if the child has piercings or tattoos, "We need to
know about those," he said, as well as health issues or medications.

> Children also need to be taught what to do, Portier said. "We've never taught
our children how to call 9-1-1," he said. "We taught them how to call
9-11."

"There's not an 11 on the phone," he said. "Teach them to
talk to us, because when they need a friend, Carole King ain't coming."

Portier also advised that, if a child is missing, parents should keep a running
log of what is happening and who they are talking to, as well as any
and everything else that might be important.

"We keep logs for everything we do -- we recommend you keep a log for everything we do,"
he said.

"Every police officer is a family person, even if they
are single," he said. "Even the guys who break down doors and like the
rough and tough stuff, have a heart for children.

"Believe it or not, we cry when return your children to you," Portier said.

For more information about the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children, visit online at missingkids.com, or call 703-224-2150

"Teach them to talk to us, because when they need a friend, Carole King ain't coming."

>--- Additionally, after the proper authorities have been notified and the initial search has been completed. Do what you can to get the word out to blogs, like Justice4Caylee and others, so that we can post the information here and get many more eyes on the case for you.
TomT