NCJ Number
146443
Date Published
1993
Length
35 pages
Annotation
The curriculum and supporting materials in this document are guidelines for the delivery of performance- based law enforcement training in "missing persons" as specified by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
Abstract
The first session instructs students in proper procedures to use in searching for a missing child. The instructor provides a word picture that depicts a search for a missing child, and the student must decide whether proper procedures were used in the search. The first step in such a search is to determine who last saw the child and when and where the missing child was last seen. Obtaining a complete description of the missing child is the next step. Investigators should not assume that a search done by the child's parents, guardian, or babysitter was thorough. Investigators should search all spaces in the house where the child could be concealed and all places in proximity to the house. The investigator must be alert for signs of violence or foul play and call for assistance in the search if the child is not found. The next section of the curriculum focuses on categories of missing persons. Students must be able to identify whether a missing-person situation exists, and if so, what type of incident it is under the law. Categories of missing persons are those involuntarily missing, those abducted by parents, runaways, and an unknown reason for the person to be missing. Other teaching sessions focus on the police response to a missing- person incident and the legal requirements of follow-up. Supporting materials and four references are provided.