- Hawaii Police Department - https://www.hawaiipolice.com -

New computer system to help find missing children 05-09-02

HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
HILO JUVENILE AID SECTION
DETECTIVE JOHN ANCHETA
PHONE: 961-2276
MAY 9, 2002

MEDIA RELEASE

In an effort to increase the chances of finding missing children, the Hawaii County Police Department has implemented a new computer system called the Lost Child Alert Technology, or LOCATER.

The system, being utilized by the Juvenile Aid Section, was created to provide the computer hardware and software needed to rapidly distribute critical information about missing children on a local, statewide or nationwide basis.

“Time is critical in locating lost children,” said Detective John Ancheta of the Hilo Juvenile Aid Section. “Every hour a child is missing, the likelihood of a safe recovery decreases.”

Ancheta said the department received the LOCATER system free from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Studies have shown that when pictures of missing children or abductors are made available to the public, one in six children is recovered as a direct result.

The LOCATER system consists of a Dell Pentium IV computer, an HP DeskJet color printer, a high-resolution scanner and customized software. It also includes templates for more than 100 different types of posters on topics such as missing children and adults, wanted persons and crime alerts.

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