Lincoln Police Department has new 'Missing Person Locator'    

[OCT. 11, 2003]  The Federal Missing and Exploited Children Program has a new grant from the Department of Justice. This grant is funding a $2,000 state-of-the-art computer system that will assist authorities nationwide in locating people who are missing.

According to Lincoln Police Chief Rich Montcalm, "The Locator" can be used to scan photos of missing persons. It will then produce posters that are not only printed out and distributed locally, but can also be transmitted to 2,800 agencies across the nation.

The Locator grant, while set up to locate missing and exploited children, can also be used to find runaways, or missing adults or senior citizens.

"Our plan is to maximize this program for the benefit of the community," stated Montcalm. "We will allow anyone to use this system to find a missing family member."

Montcalm encourages local agencies, including the Department of Children and Family Services, and Senior Services, to utilize this program.

With a signed release, the city police can then scan a photo of the missing individual, produce a poster with vital statistics, post it locally and designate a mile range in which to distribute the poster.

These posters can also be posted through the Ticker Alert System at the Lincoln Police Department website, making them accessible to the general public. The Ticker System should be in place in November 2003. The website is also a good source of information for public homeland security information.

Another new program being implemented is a new fingerprinting system. Much neater than the traditional inking procedure, the fingerprint can be scanned and printed out for parents of young children to maintain records. These prints will then be stored on a police database and can used, if necessary, in the event that a child would become missing.

Chief Montcalm plans to use the system also for the elderly, especially in nursing homes and assisted living environments. This system will also be in place in November 2003.

"We hope to draw in parents and children during the holiday shopping season," stated Montcalm. He may set up fingerprinting booths in areas such as Wal-Mart or the Logan County Health Department.

With these systems in place, the process of locating missing individuals should be more expedient and far more accurate. For more information or to request assistance in finding a missing person, contact the Lincoln City Police Department at [phone]. The department is located at 911 Pekin St. in Lincoln.

[Patricia Rankin]

Articles from the past week

Friday:

• 911 systems connected by wireless

• Pictures from Safety Complex tower climb

• Logan County Title Company honored as centennial business

Thursday:

• Lincoln Christian College and Seminary receives $900,000 gift

• Cool October follows on heels of a cool, wet September

Wednesday:

• Applications open for Habitat homes

• State investigates Canadian pharmacies' procedures and safety

Tuesday:

• Two great retail businesses ready to come to Lincoln

• Water main break

• Reduce fires with electrical safety steps

Monday:

• World-renowned presidential historian to head state presidential library

• 44th District update
  Low-income energy assistance

Saturday:

• Lincoln couple share successful parenting tools

• Tuesday morning drive-through promotes early detection

• Governor announces premiere education plan for children in DCFS

• Lincoln homecoming parade pictures