WASHINGTON 鈥� A change in how the D.C. police report kids who have gone missing is making a difference in how quickly they come home, the new police chief said.
When Commander Chanel Dickerson聽took charge of the Youth and Family Services division at the end of last year, she decided to publicize the names and photos of children reported missing, D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told 海角精品黑料 Tuesday, following his .
“Initially, there was concern we had additional kids going missing. But really what it was was increased awareness,” Newsham said.
In March, Dickerson addressed concerns about the fact that more than a dozen young people 鈥� most of them black teenage girls 鈥� were reported missing that month.
鈥淟et me first reassure you:聽We have no indication young girls in the District are being preyed upon by human traffickers in large numbers,鈥� said Dickerson.
鈥淭he number of reported missing persons is not going up,鈥� Dickerson said. 鈥淪ince 2012, parents or guardians reported almost 200 juveniles missing per month 鈥� so far, in 2017, approximately 190 have been reported missing each month.”
The increased community聽awareness, coupled with Mayor Muriel Bowser’s decision 聽dedicating more resources to the problem, have contributed to a noticeable change, Newsham said.
“Now we’re able to find our kids quicker than we had in the past, and secondly, there’s a lot of attention being given to why these kids are going missing in the first place,” he said.
