Group Uses Reverse 911 to Help in Search for Missing Children

Group Uses Reverse 911 to Help in Search for Missing Children


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John Hollenhorst ReportingFor the second time in two days, a missing child alert went out in Utah today. In both cases, there was a happy ending.

Group Uses Reverse 911 to Help in Search for Missing Children

The two cases highlight a rapid alert system, a sort of reverse 911 call that's catching on with law enforcement. The calling system may not have been directly responsible for locating either girl, but it ensured there were thousands of eyes looking for them.

Group Uses Reverse 911 to Help in Search for Missing Children

An Ogden girl was found by the Wal-Mart yesterday, and a 12-year-old Cedar City girl who briefly disappeared from school today was also found.

Eight-year-old Alexis Daniel was at the Wal-Mart all day Sunday, although police didn't know it for many hours. The eight-year-old told us last night she was walking from her dad's home to her mom's and got sidetracked to the Wal-Mart. So while she was on her unauthorized shopping expedition, parents and police worried.

Group Uses Reverse 911 to Help in Search for Missing Children

When the missing child call came in at the 911 dispatch center, Kim Gibson thought of reaching out of state for help.

With police approval, a call was made to a non-profit group in Florida called A Child Is Missing. That triggered a barrage of computer-automated phone calls: 2,484 calls to residents and businesses in the missing girls' neighborhood.

Alert from A Child Is Missing Alert: "This is an urgent message from the police department. We're currently looking for a missing child in your area."

Kim Gibson, dispatch supervisor: "It makes a lot of people aware of what the situation is quickly. The calls go out within five minutes and notify a lot of people at once."

The calls provide details and descriptions. But unlike an Amber Alert, they're targeted to a small zone surrounding the disappearance.

Deborah Mecham, dispatch manager: "In my discussion with them, they said they would assume that a young child wouldn't go a very long distance."

In Cedar City, police made the request to Florida when an autistic 12-year-old walked away from school. Four-hundred and 96 homes and business near the school received the automated phone alert in a span of just 60 seconds.

Deborah Mecham: "I think when we initiate those types of actions, as soon as possible in a case of a missing child, that it's more likely they're going to be recovered."

The phone alert apparently played no role in Cedar City today; the girl was found after she wandered into someone's home. In the case here yesterday, police say the big break came from people who saw Alexis' picture on TV and remembered seeing her shopping at the Wal-Mart.

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