Technology Aids in Locating Missing Children

“This is an urgent message from “Antrim Police Department”.  We are currently looking for a missing child in your area. The missing child’s name and description is…”

This is a message you could hear when you answer your phone through a service available in Antrim.

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

December 12, 2005 – The Antrim Police Department has recently formalized their relationship with a national program that assists in the search of missing children, the elderly (often with Alzheimer’s), and the disabled in the first critical hours of their disappearance.  A Child Is Missing Alert Program. (ACIM) is the only program of its kind in the country offered FREE to law enforcement.

A Child is Missing Alert is a non-profit organization that uses a high technology telephone alert system to canvas a neighborhood with calls describing the missing person and asking anyone with leads to call their local law enforcement.  Alert calls are launched within 15 minutes from request for assistance at a rate of 1,000 calls per 60 seconds.

A Child Is Missing Alert can work in tandem with the Amber Alert.  ACIM relays information to the public immediately. Their only criterion is that a child or elderly person is missing. However, there are incidents where both programs could be activated.

A Child Is Missing Alert has been serving law enforcement since 1997 and to date, nearly 9 million telephone alert calls have been made to help find missing individuals. A Child Is Missing Alert has been credited by law enforcement with 88 safe recoveries in the last 37 months, including one that occurred in Henniker NH on April 7, 2005.

For further information call the Antrim Police Department at 603-588-6613 or A Child Is Missing Alert Program 954-763-1288, or visit www.achildismissing.org

Sincerely,
Scott R. Lester
Chief of Police