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.

On January 15, 2020, at about 1:30 p.m. an 11-year-old girl was walking home from school. A man got out of a car and grabbed her. Witnesses called Springfield (MA) Emergency Communications (SEC).

An Amber Alert was issued, motorists paid attention to the Amber Alert and updated the SEC and Massachusetts State Police (MSP) Communications Section. People reported the car on the Massachusetts Turnpike about 30 miles east of Springfield near Brimfield. Troopers stopped the car, rescued the girl who was in the back seat and took custody of the driver who was armed with a knife.

Five months before the abduction, the SEC Director had graduated from NCMEC’s seminar for public safety executives on policies, best practices and resources in missing and sexually exploited child cases. The MSP Communications Section is a member of NCMEC’s Missing Kids Readiness Program (MKRP). Learn more about NCMEC’s training and MKRP.