Staff Reports
Friday, March 13, 2015 8:33 am

The Rochester Police Department is one of just 17 law enforcement agencies in the United States and the first in New Hampshire to have been certified in an advanced readiness program to address missing children.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) developed the Missing Kids Readiness Project to promote best practices for responding to calls of missing, abducted and sexually exploited children. 911 call centers and law enforcement agencies are recognized for meeting essential training and policy elements demonstrating preparedness for responding to a missing child incident.

To meet the requirements of the project, the Rochester Police Department worked with NCMEC on their missing child policy to ensure it met the critical elements of NCMEC's model policy for law enforcement agencies. In addition, Chief Michael Allen attended the Missing Children Seminar for Chief Executives held at NCMEC headquarters in Alexandria, VA and ensured all first responders and front line supervisors completed the necessary classroom and/or online training offered through NCMEC. By demonstrating leadership and making this commitment of training and preparedness, the Rochester Police Department is communicating to its citizens and families that protecting the lives and safety of their children is a top priority.

Armed with the information, knowledge and operational resources gained through meeting the project criteria, the Rochester Police Department is now positioned to respond more quickly, comprehensively, and effectively when a child's life may be at stake.

To learn more about NCMEC and the Missing Kids Readiness Project, go to: http://www.missingkids.com/MKRP.

For a full listing of all MKRP recognized agencies, go to: http://www.missingkids.com/MKRP/Members.