| New Standard Addresses Handling Reports of Missing Children
January 22, 2008, Washington, DC - The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International today released a standard for emergency calltakers to use in handling calls pertaining to missing and exploited children.
"Reports of missing and/or sexually exploited children may be among the most difficult, challenging, and emotionally charged cases public safety agencies will ever experience," the standard says. "Each stage of the case, from initial call through successful recovery, forms a critical component of a thorough child-protection response. Often the initial call forms the foundation and direction of the response to that missing and/or sexually exploited child."
In an effort to develop best-practice guidelines for handling calls pertaining to missing and/or sexually exploited children, a joint steering committee on Call Center Best Practices in Cases of Missing and Sexually Exploited Children was developed. Members of the committee include APCO International, the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED), the National AMBER Alert Initiative (U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs and Fox Valley Technical College), the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA).
This joint committee developed the content of the standard, "APCO American National Standard (ANS) 1.101.1-2007 - Standard for Calltakers when Handling Calls Pertaining to Missing and Sexually Exploited Children," the purpose of which is to develop a reference specifically for emergency calltakers to present the missing and/or sexually exploited child response process in a logical progression from the initial call through the first response. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Board of Standards Review approved the standard on December 19, 2007.
"All agencies must provide its members with the tools and training enabling them to act quickly and decisively when confronted with reports of missing and/or sexually exploited children," the standard says. "The single most important tool an agency may provide is a clearly worded policy directive containing understandable procedures and best practices for calltakers to follow as a guide whenever a call for a missing and/or sexually exploited child is received. This voluntary national standard is designed to be an important tool for agencies to enhance training, policies, and procedures."
APCO International is an ANSI-accredited Standards Developer (ASD) and was chosen by these organizations to facilitate the guide through APCO International's ANS process. APCO International's Standards Development Committee led the process, which included a 45-day public review and commenting period. The standard can be downloaded at http://www.apcointl.org/new/commcenter911/APCOstandards.php.
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International today announced the revamping of its Winter Summit. The APCO International Fifth Annual Winter Summit, taking place January 28-30 in Orlando, Fla., will tackle one key issue - technology in public safety communications.
The Winter Summit will take attendees on a three-day journey through the technological challenges and opportunities faced by public safety communications executives. Sessions include:
- Is 700 MHz Broadband in Your Future?
- Leveraging Broadband to Improve Public Safety and Emergency Crisis Response
- Lessons learned from the Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
- What Communications Centers Can Learn from Corporate America
- Funding Interoperable Communications
"I have attended all four of APCO's Winter Summits because they provide invaluable information on the key topics affecting public safety communications agencies," an APCO Winter Summit attendee said.
Visit www.apcointl.org/wintersummit2008 for more information. For a complimentary press pass contact Courtney McCarron at mccarronc@apco911.org.
About APCO International
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to the enhancement of public safety communications. APCO International serves the professional needs of its 15,000 members worldwide by creating a platform for setting professional standards, addressing professional issues and providing education, products and services for people who manage, operate, maintain and supply the communications systems used by police, fire and emergency medical dispatch agencies throughout the world. |
