Sheriff’s Office adopts call center policies for missing and exploited children

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The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in an effort to handle the growing number of missing and exploited children 9-1-1 calls.

Emergency 9-1-1 calls regarding missing and/or sexually exploited children could be the first step towards saving a child in your community, officials said.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office recently completed enhanced specialized training becoming a NCMEC 9-1-1 Call Center Partner and is now better prepared to take these types of calls.

The program acknowledges ACSO’s commitment to making the safety of children a priority.

Every 9-1-1 call involving a missing and/or sexually exploited child must be handled according to specific practices and to promote these practices, NCMEC has created the 9-1-1 Call Center Partner Program.

Sheriff John Skipper said he is pleased that the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is a part of such an important initiative to keep children in our community safer and that the ACSO has incorporated the practices into its policies and training material.

Every year 800,000 children go missing in the United States, more than 2,000 children per day. Calls about missing and sexually exploited children can become high profile events that have a devastating impact on the victim’s family, the community, and the call center.

9-1-1 call centers must have in place policies and training to help ensure that every missing and sexually exploited child is given the best chance to be found alive and unharmed, a spokesperson said. To learn more about the 9-1-1 Partner Program, visit www.missingkids.com/911.