Quick Poll

Should Ron Washington keep his current job as manager of Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers after admitting he used cocaine one time last year and as a player, used amphetamines and marijuana?

Blogs

Angela McRae

Tea with friends

Deberah Williams

Everyday Finesse

Lorrie Lynch

Who's News

Published Sunday, November 15, 2009 in Local

NPD goes high-tech in effort to find missing persons

The Newnan Police Department now has a high- tech way to search for missing persons.

Newnan Police Chief Douglas L. "Buster" Meadows formalized an agreement with the "A Child Is Missing Alert Program" this week. The program that has led to a high-tech method now in place to search locally for missing children, missing elderly -- often with Alzheimer's -- college students, and missing persons who may be mentally or physically challenged or disabled.

Effective Thursday, upon receipt of missing persons calls, the Newnan Police Department will make its first phone call to a toll-free number that rings in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- the national headquarters for the program. The call, answered 24 hours a day by an Information and Mapping Technician, initiates a rapid process of information gathering and use of sophisticated mapping systems. A Child Is Missing then launches potentially thousands of calls within minutes with an alert message detailing the missing person's description, last known whereabouts, and other pertinent information. This alert message will also include a Newnan Police Department phone number for use by anyone with information relating to the missing person.

This program is a free service to law enforcement. Newnan police officials will evaluate each potential activation of the A Child Is Missing Alert Program to ensure the application is appropriate to the case and to ensure the system is optimally used. Policies, procedures, and employee training will also guide the most efficient and effective use of this alert program.

Telephone numbers that are called by this program include listed numbers in the selected area but do not include cell phone numbers, unlisted numbers, broadband/voiceover IP numbers or TDD/TTY devices. These numbers can be added to ensure they, too, are called in the event of an alert.

To enter a cell phone, unlisted, broadband/voiceover IP or TDD/TTY device number for alerts from the program, visit www.achildismissing.org and click on "add your name" to enter your name, number and address.

This information will only be used for emergency message alerts, officials said.

A Child is Missing has the capacity to place 1,000 alert phone calls in one minute to residents and businesses in the area where someone has gone missing. To date, the program has been credited with more than 590 safe assisted recoveries.