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The Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response recently became the fifth 9-1-1 Center in New York State to become a partner in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Missing Kids Readiness Project.

All Tompkins County dispatchers completed enhanced specialized training and are now better prepared to take these types of calls. A Certificate of Recognition was recently delivered to the department, along with being listed on the NCMEC website: www.missingkids.com/MKRP/Members.  The Department also will be recognized in Washington, DC in August.

The Missing Kids Readiness Project is a partnership between the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), AMBER Alert (a U.S. Department of Justice initiative), the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED), and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). Training and policy requirements must be met by agencies striving to become a certified partner in the NCMEC program. The Tompkins County 9-1-1 Center fulfilled all of these requirements in its ongoing effort to improve services provided to Tompkins County residents.

Every year, 200,000 children go missing in the United States. Every 9-1-1 call involving a missing and/or exploited child must be handled according to best practices. By partnering with NCMEC, the Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response has demonstrated its commitment to help ensure that every missing and/or exploited child is given the best chance to be found alive and unharmed.

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