During National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) recognizes those who save lives in times of crisis and raises awareness of the hard work and dedication of public safety telecommunicators.

The Roswell (GA) 911 Emergency Communications Center became a member of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) Missing Kids Readiness Program (MKRP) in 2017. The communications officers train several times a year on missing, endangered, and exploited children.

The preparedness paid off on January 9, 2021, when they received a call reporting a home invasion and kidnapping of a one-month-old child. The five telecommunicators on duty banded together, dispatched field responders, broadcast lookouts, performed notifications, made NCIC entries, pinged cellphones, coordinated with investigators and communicated with area jurisdictions. Within four hours, the child was located safe and sound and reunited with his mother.

“We take our partnership with NCMEC very seriously” Communications Supervisor Michelle Schneider said, “this incident proved the success of this program.” Learn more about how emergency communications centers and law enforcement agencies can become members of NCMEC’s program.