NCJ Number
213578
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 33 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2006 Pages: 8,10,12,14,16
Date Published
February 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Child Abduction Response Teams (CART) and its contribution in making significant strides to improve the response to child abductions.
Abstract
The idea behind the Child Abduction Response Teams (CART) originated under the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) in 2003, in the Orlando region in response to communities requesting the improvement in law enforcement’s response to child abductions. Today, approximately 13 CART teams can be found throughout the State of Florida. CART’s success is due to the volunteers from local agencies. They seek people with experience in crimes against children or violent crime experts. They also look for those who are experienced in not just the law but how people think and behave. CART teams meet quarterly, to identify people’s strengths, and then put them in the appropriate position on the team. CART is able to handle the complicated logistics and coordinate the many investigators of a child abduction case. CART is a toolbox for local agencies to call on in times of need, specifically child abductions. Today, CART with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice is going nationwide. In addition, Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin is providing assistance in establishing CARTs nationwide by handling the logistics of training, as well as providing technical assistance to the existing CART programs.