Nearly half a million children go missing in the United States every year. Cleveland Division of Police Public Information Officer Sergeant Wilfredo “Freddy” Diaz recently explained to Signal what you can do right now to be prepared should your child go missing.
The ‘24-hour’ rule doesn’t exist
“There’s still some misconceptions that people have to wait 24 hours to make a report for a missing person,” said Diaz. “That’s not accurate. As soon as you suspect that something is wrong, like, ‘This doesn’t feel right, this is not his or her normal,’ make a police report.”
Arm yourself with information
Have current photos of your child. Have dental records, fingerprints, and any other identifying information about your child within your easy access. Some insurance companies offer child safe kits that let parents take fingerprints and store other information. The National Child ID Program offers inkless fingerprinting kits for a fee.
Know exactly where your kids are
Ask for the full address or name of the building when your children go out, not just a neighborhood or intersection. Police need to be able to search specific locations, such as houses and apartments. For additional safety, ask your child to send a screenshot when they arrive and whenever they change their location.
Be aware of other places your child regularly hangs out.
Know who they’re with
Police rely on familiy for information. It s helpful to have a first and last name, not just nicknames, for their friends. Not just one friend, but anyone they could be with. Have phone numbers and addresses to reach those friends, and a phone number for other parents or guardians.
“The parents are always helpful with making contact with folks that are maybe hesitant to talk to us,” Diaz said.
What happens next
Once a police report for a missing child is made, according to Diaz, officers are assigned to that case for the rest of their shift. They determine if the individual is considered “endangered” by asking about things like medical concerns or cognitive disabilities.
Officers search the child’s home and the location where they were last seen, make calls to hospitals and jails, and follow up on any leads. The case is transferred to the next officer on duty. It then goes to a missing persons detective who repeats the work of the initial responding officers and investigates further by pulling camera and video footage or looking into new leads.
“I’m impressed by how connected [officers] become with these cases, and how seriously they take it,” Diaz said. “They take this to heart. They really look for these folks.”
Diaz said habitual runaways are a “challenge” for police and can make searching for missing persons more difficult.
“We get a lot of those, you know, juveniles being juveniles,” he said. “And we have to give them the same effort, right? We still have to consider them missing, and we still have to follow all the steps to the investigation.”
Contacts and information on missing children
Cuyahoga County Missing Persons
City of Cleveland Missing Persons
Cleveland Police emergency number: 9-1-1
