Local Law Enforcement Agencies Partnered With ‘A Child Is Missing’
Oskaloosa Police Department
The Oskaloosa Police Department along with the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Department has partnered up with a program called ‘A Child is Missing’.
A Child is Missing is a non-profit organization that assists Law Enforcement in the early search and safe recovery of missing children, missing elderly (often with Alzheimer’s), and disabled individuals by placing telephone alert calls in a square mile radius around the area a person was last seen. Through a high-speed telephone alert, A Child is Missing has the capacity to inform residents and businesses in the area surrounding where the missing person was last seen. Computer mapping and satellite imagery are used by recovery specialists who are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
A Child is Missing Program uses an emergency database called “Code-Red”. It is a state-of-the-art voice messaging system that Law Enforcement Agencies use to alert residents about situations that require immediate dissemination of crucial information. This program is separate from that of an Amber Alert which must meet certain criteria.
IS YOUR PHONE NUMBER REGISTERED? When a child or elderly person goes missing Law Enforcement will make the initial contact for ‘Code-Red’ who in turn will then map a radius around the last seen location of the missing person. A recorded message alert is sent at a speed of 1,000 calls in 60 seconds to land lines and registered cell phones in that area. This prompts the public to immediately share any sightings regarding the missing child or person to call the Oskaloosa Police Department if they have information pertaining to the case or the missing person.
We invite you to visit the website and sign up for an alert in the Oskaloosa and Mahaska County Community. It is simple and confidential. You can help save a life. Visit http://www.achildismissing.org Once at the website, in the upper left page area is an icon entitled ‘You can help save a life, connect, join our alert list’ click upon this icon and enter the requested information to receive notifications of a missing person in your area. Again, to receive a message of a missing child or person upon your cell phone, you must register your current address along with the cellphone. Local and home based businesses are encouraged to register.
With residence switching from landlines to cellphone based communication, it becomes more important to register. Again, these numbers are confidential and only used with the program, “A Child is Missing’.
