LLPD implements abduction response system

February 22, 2010

A Los Lunas LOCATOR test poster.

The Village of Los Lunas Police Department set up a new program this week to more quickly and effectively respond to child abductions.

Police Chief Roy Melnick said his department is now using LOCATOR, which stands for Lost Child Alert Technology Resource, a program created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

LOCATER will help his department get information to the public about child abductions by quickly scanning photos and entering information about a missing child, including the facts and circumstances of a child’s disappearance.

Law enforcement agencies within the county, around the state and nationwide can view the information once it’s been entered, and the program can be used to produce missing posters for the media and public.

“There are many challenges facing law enforcement personnel in missing child cases. One of the greatest is collecting and disseminating the child’s descriptive information quickly,” Melnick said.

According to Melnick, one in six missing children are recovered simply because information and photographs of the child or suspected abductor was distributed to the public.

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