GIRARD Police obtain new tool to find missing children

About 100 different types of posters can be made by the computer system.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- Girard police are using another tool to find missing or exploited children, one that has a variety of law enforcement uses.
LOCATOR, an acronym for the Lost Children Alert Technology Resource, has been provided free to police through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The system that costs between $2,000 and $2,500 was funded through the U.S. Department of Justice.
Police Capt. Frank Bigowsky explained the system consists of a computer, terminal, photographic scanner and printer.
If a child is missing, police can type the information into LOCATOR and scan in a photograph to design a poster.
In turn, the poster can be sent to the press and police agencies, Bigowsky explained.
It's faster
The captain said LOCATOR is slightly faster than the Amber Alert, the nationwide system that alerts police and the public to a missing child through the 911 emergency system.
"It allows us to react quickly," Bigowsky said Friday. "We may not handle very many missing children in a year, but in having the tool, we'll be prepared."
Bigowsky said LOCATOR, the first to be used in the area, is designed for use in a variety of cases.
There are more than 100 different types of posters that can be created, including those for missing adults, wanted persons and crime alerts.
Recent uses
Bigowsky said LOCATOR was recently used to send a press release with the photograph of a hit-skip victim to local news outlets.
In another case, he added, the arrest of a man who intended to rob a city store was sent to other police agencies to let them know he was in custody.
Also, LOCATOR can be used with a recently activated police records management system.
Because LOCATOR is so new, Bigowsky said, it is being made available for use by other police agencies.
yovich@vindy.com