To view AMBER Alerts in Idaho and other states please visit amberalert.com

IDAHO STATEWIDE AMBER ALERT PLAN v2.15

Idaho has 80 missing adults at any one time, which is approximately 44% of Idaho’s total missing! Nationally, there are approximately 47,842 missing adults entered into the National Crime Information Center database. There are many more adults who may be missing, but not entered into any database. The Idaho Missing Persons Clearinghouse focuses equally on missing children as well as missing adults. Though the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children located in Alexandria, VA is federally funded to act as the national clearinghouse for children, comparable services for missing adults have never existed.

Roles and Activities of Missing Person Clearinghouse

Maintain Database

The clearinghouse maintains a database of all Idaho missing persons. Statistics on missing persons in Idaho are provided upon request.

Verifies NCIC Entry
BCI staff verify the entry of Idaho missing persons into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computer system by local law enforcement agencies. Clearinghouse staff also recommends that families of missing children contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to file a report.

Operates Toll-Free Hot-line The hot-line provides nationwide access.
BCI staff members answer the hot-line during normal business hours. After hours, weekends and holidays a message system answers calls. immediately. The hot-line was primarily established for supplemental reports and for reporting sightings of missing persons. However, calls range from requests for informational materials such as child fingerprint ID cards, to information about actual missing persons and details regarding the recovery. Information on leads or sightings is forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement agency for investigation.

State Link to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
The clearinghouse networks with NCMEC, the 49 other state clearinghouses, Canada and telephone, and fax. This relationship ensures support between agencies when missing person reports lead investigations from one state or country to another. The relationship also insures that information from leads and sightings is sent to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

Maintain Web Site
The clearinghouse is responsible for the information contained on this site about those missing and resources available. Idaho was one of the first states to develop a site for this purpose.

Create Flyers
Upon request from law enforcement agencies or families, Idaho missing persons clearinghouse staff creates flyers regarding specific cases. The clearinghouse publishes and distributes a quarterly bulletin which contains information about those missing in the state and other relevant information. Copies of the flyers are distributed to local law enforcement agencies within the state and to the missing persons clearinghouse counterparts in other states.

Maintain Material
The clearinghouse maintains a variety of information for both law enforcement and the public. Information from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is available for all law enforcement agencies in the state. The clearinghouse retains a supply of brochures obtained from the NCMEC or put together by clearinghouse staff. These are available upon request to interested parties. A copy of the Kids and Company child safety curriculum for grades K-6 has been acquired from the NCMEC. This curriculum is available for distribution or loan to interested schools and law enforcement agencies.

Supply Fingerprint Cards
The clearinghouse also provides to the public child fingerprint ID cards. These are used to record the fingerprints and other important information about children and are given to the parents to keep in a safe place. These cards have been used to fingerprint children at local civic activities and have been featured in the department’s booth at the Western Idaho State Fair.

Children – the source of our greatest joys and greatest concerns. We do everything we can think of to keep them safe, happy and healthy, yet bad things can still happen. The following are some tips to help parents help their child.

PREVENTION TIPS

• • Keep a complete description of your child. The description should include color of hair, color of eyes, height, weight, and date of birth. In addition the description should include identifies such as eyeglasses, contact lenses, braces on teeth, pierced ears and other unique physical attributes. Having the location of scars, birth marks, and the like will aid law enforcement if your child is missing. Write the description down, keep it with your “Important Papers”, and update every six months at minimum. If the child has a new injury that results in a scar, or any type of medical procedure, add it to the description immediately.
  • Take color photographs of your child every six months. The photographs should be of high quality and in sharp focus so the child is easily recognizable. Head and should type portraits from different angles, like school photographs are wonderful. Make sure the photograph looks like your child, and is not a model’s pose. Candid photographs may be more representative of how your child looks than posed shots. Home videos of the child are also extremely valuable. Close up shots of your child depict a living, breathing child and may help to identify specific mannerisms your child may have.
  • Ask your Dentist to prepare dental charts and prints for your child. Have the dental chart updated each time an examination or dental work is performed and dental prints are taken once every two years until your child is 18. Make sure your dentist maintains up to date x-rays. If you move, ask for copy of the charts for your own files. Place the charts in your “Important Papers” so it is quickly and easily accessible. Consider taking a bite impression of your child’s teeth. Take a two inch square of flat material like Styrofoam® and have your child bite partially through it. The bite should be strong enough to leave an impression of the upper and lower teeth. A new bite sample should be made each time your child loses or grows a tooth.
  • Know where your child’s medical records are located. Medical records like x-rays can be invaluable in helping to identify a recovered child. It is important to have all permanent scars, birthmarks, permanent blemishes, and broken bones recorded. Check with your doctor on where the child’s records is stored and to access if necessary.
  • Have your child fingerprinted by law enforcement. Law enforcement will give you the card after the child’s prints are taken, and do not keep a copy.
  • Consider preserving a DNA sample taken from your child. There are DNA kits available, but it is easy to make your own. The first “kit” is to take an old toothbrush that has been used exclusively by your child. Allow it to air dry and place it in a brown envelope, have the child lick the envelope shut and label with the child’s name. The second “kit” requires rubber gloves, 2 cotton swabs and an envelope. Take the first swab and swab the area between where the lower right gum-line and cheek meet by twirling the swab and rubbing back and forth. Do this for 30 seconds. Allow the swab to air dry for 45 minutes. Repeat with the second swab. Place both dry swabs in the envelope, have the child lick the envelope shut and label with the child’s name. Store envelopes in a secure, cool, dark, and dry location such as a safety deposit box. DNA samples stored in this manner should be good for up to six or seven years.
  • Teach your child his/her full name, you (the parents) given names, address, and telephone number (including area code for long distance). Teaching your child basic identification information is crucial. If they become separated from you, knowing this information will bring them home quicker. Show your child how to dial 911 and to ask for help. Impress on them this is for emergencies only.
    • • Teach your child how to make a collect call, tell your child you will always accept collect calls and to call immediately should anything unusual occur, or if anyone tells the child that you are dead or don’t love them anymore.
      • Teach your child to scream “I DON’T KNOW YOU” if someone attempts to force your child to accompany them.
      • Teach your child never to accept rides from anyone unless you the parent have given express permission to ride in a vehicle with that person.
      • Teach your child to be wary of anyone asking them to go off alone together for any reason, for example, to find a lost puppy, etc.
      • Teach your child to let you know immediately if another adult suggest keeping secrets from you, the parent.
      • Teach your child that no one has the right to touch them or make them feel uncomfortable and it’s okay to tell you. Even if the child has promised not to tell, they should know to tell an adult they trust.
  • Teach your child safety practices on a daily basis. Teach your child to stay in groups. There is strength in numbers. Teach your child to walk and play with others after receiving your permission. Teach your child to stay on sidewalks or at least six feet from the street. Children should stay off the street, and never approach a vehicle no matter what the occupants say.
  • Never leave your child alone in a car. A child (of any age) should not be left in a car alone for a minute, even in your own driveway. The child should remain with you at all times.
  • Know your child’s friends. Keep a written list of your child’s friends, including the child’s name, their parent’s names, addresses and phone numbers. Know who your child rides the school bus with, walks with to and from school, and plays with at recess.

The “NO” list

• • Teach you child to say no to entering another person’s car or home without your express permission, even if the person is known to them.
  • Teach your child to say no to accepting gifts from strangers or acquaintances without your permission.
  • Teach you child to say no to answering the telephone or door when home alone.
  • Teach your child to say no to telling anyone who asks where they live or giving their telephone number to someone they do not know.

The “KNOW” list

• • Know the addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, passport numbers and birthdays of all relatives and friends of the non-custodial parent.
  • Know who your child’s friends are, and where they live as well as the phone numbers where the friend’s parents can be reached.
  • Know your child’s current weight and height.
  • Know where your important information is securely stored. It should be in two separate, secure locations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long must I wait to report a Missing person?
THERE IS NO WAITING PERIOD TO REPORT A MISSING PERSON.

What do I do if local law enforcement won’t take a missing report (or enter the Missing person into NCIC National Crime Information Center)?
Contact the officer that took the initial report to inquire why the report has not been entered in NCIC. Listen to what the officer advises you, as there may be other issues involved. This agency may not be the agency of jurisdiction where the child was at the time it become missing. You may not be the custodial parent. You may not have a valid custody document and/or parenting plan. If you have custody documents you need to present them to the officer. If you called the agency, you may have spoken to a call taker or communication officer who took a missing report and an investigator may or may not been assigned to your case. Write down the responses you are given for further follow-up.

Why would law enforcement not activate an AMBER Alert for my missing child?
AMBER Alerts are specialized tools used for specific missing children cases. Idaho has 6 criteria that must be met before law enforcement can issue and Alert, and the law enforcement has other tools to search for other types of missing children. Please see the AMBER Alert page for the 6 criteria and other information about AMBER Alerts in Idaho.

Who is responsible to activate an AMBER Alert?
It the responsibility of the investigating law enforcement to activate an AMBER Alert. All AMBER Alerts in Idaho are issued statewide. Please see the AMBER Alert page for more information on these Alerts.

What should I do if I suspect a possible missing person or exploitation in my neighborhood?
Do not confront the person(s) yourself. Contact your local law enforcement immediately and provide them with as much information as possible relating to names of the individuals, the length of time they have been in the neighborhood, vehicle information, and why you believe the police should be involved.

What should I do if I suspect a person on an Internet chat room is attempting to entice a child away from their home?
Obtain as much information as possible on the person who is attempting to entice the child, including the person’s e-mail address, the time of day, what chat room was involved, any information on the meeting place and if possible, which Internet provider controls the chat room. Contact your local law enforcement immediately.

What should I do if I suspect a person is sending sexually explicit photographs involving children or discover an Internet web site containing sexually explicit photographs of children?
Record the Internet web site address and the person’s e-mail address that is sending the materials. Contact you local law enforcement immediately.

What should I do if I suspect a future problem with a family-related abduction?
Ensure that your custody order specifies with whom the child is to reside at specific times and restricts removal from the state without prior consent from the judge. Flag the child’s passport if one exists, or ask passport control not to issue one if one is requested. Also contact the State Registrar in the state where the child was born and ask that a flag be placed on the child’s birth certificate. This flag will activate if a request is made for a copy of child’s birth certificate or if any requests for information on the child’s birth certificate is requested. Notify schools, day care centers and baby sitters of the custody orders. Give them copies and ask to be alerted if the non-custodial parent makes an unscheduled visit to the facility.
If the non-custodial parent lives in another county, state or country, file a certified copy of the custody decree there. This will notify the court in that jurisdiction that a valid decree has already been issued and must be honored. Also consider filing a copy of the decree in any foreign countries in which the non-custodial parent has close friends or relatives.

Forms for Law Enforcement

CHECK SHEET TO REPORT A MISSING PERSON

HELPING UNSUPERVISED AND RUNAWAY CHILDREN: Investigative Checklist for Law Enforcement

Guides and Resources

8 RULES FOR SAFETY | 8 REGLAS PARA LA SEGURIDAD

GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND GUARDIANS | GUIA PARA PADRES Y TUTORES

AMBER INFORMATION POSTER

WHEN A LOVED ONE GOES MISSING: Resources for Families of Missing American Indian and Alaska Native Adults

RESOURCES FOR CHILD CARE PROVIDERS | CHILD MISSING FROM CARE: LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE