New solution for missing people

When the call came in on Jan. 26 that a 61-year-old Bayonne woman was missing, a number of things happened at once.
The police sent a patrol car to the area. The Fire Department sent a unit as well, combing the area where reports suggested that the woman might have been seen last.
In this case, the son of the woman said she may not have taken necessary medication and might have become disoriented.
Ranking officers in both departments, each of whom carries a telephone with e-mail and picture capability, got a copy of the report.
“In this case, one of our people was able to take a picture of a picture of the woman, and that immediately went out to every supervisor,” said Public Safety Director Jason O’Donnell.

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“A girl went missing in the county, and we decided to use every resource possible to help find her.” – Jason O’Donnell
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The picture and the details of the missing person were also sent via e-mail to residents of the city who had signed up to receive notices from the city as part of its usual public relations system. Residents also received phone calls using the city’s reverse 911 system, which is usually reserved for alerting residents of an emergency situation.
Missing person issues in the past have been problematic, partly because it was difficult to search for people who had wandered off – such as mentally ill people, run-away children, abducted children, mentally impaired seniors, and others – because local police simply do not have the resources.
In a report done for the State of New Jersey two years ago, the Division of State Police indicated there were 18,620 New Jersey missing person records reported to the National Crime Information Center in 2005. The State Missing Persons Unit responded to 1,800 of those records, or 9.7 percent of the state total. The remaining missing persons cases were handled by local law enforcement.
Without resources, local authorities often found it impossible to vigorously pursue every case.
In the last few years, there has been a nationwide movement to protect children who are abducted, and the Amber Alert system – which is designed to save the life of the child – has been established between enforcement agencies and broadcasters to alert the general public about a missing child.
It was such an alert earlier this year that brought together this new system in Bayonne, O’Donnell said.
“A girl went missing in the county and we decided to use every resource possible to help find her,” O’Donnell said.
The girl was found elsewhere in the county, but the system proved so effective that the city decided to use it for every missing persons report, expanding the range of search beyond just the Police Department.
Firefighters, who are on duty anyway, become one more element in a web of responders. Going to the area where the missing person was last seen, firefighters allow police to handle other aspects of the search. Also alerted is every city employee, so that those working around town during the day can serve as the eyes and ears for those searching for the missing person.
“That’s during the day,” O’Donnell said. “They are working anyway, and they will keep their eyes open. At night, we have firefighters who are on duty and can help with the searching.”
By calling and e-mailing residents, local authorities expand the network even further, with the hopes that someone in the public might see the person and report the missing person’s whereabouts.
Fortunately, in this case, the woman was found by her family within 24 hours, and was not in danger.
But, O’Donnell said, at some point it may become a matter of life and death, and with this system in place, Bayonne may be able to save someone’s life.