Abstract

The Democratic-Republican National Convention (DRNC) is a large convention that attracts tons of people from all across the world. This event can become chaotic and dangerous within seconds if not properly organized. There are hundreds of people who attend this convention and the area it is held is quite large. Every law enforcement there is on high alert waiting for a protester to break bad. So when a small child who is 8 years old goes missing will defiantly cause some panic. This paper will discuss what the first responding City of Miami police officers should do along with creating a BOLO (be on the lookout) for the juvenile. It will also discuss if the officer questioning the parents for dental records was appropriate at this time due to most juveniles returning within the hour. This paper will also answer if and when the Command Post for the DRNC should be notified of the missing juvenile and if an Amber Alert should be issued. Along with what other actions would be appropriate in this situation.

Keywords: DRNC, missing, juvenile, law enforcement

DRNC

The Democratic Republican National Convention is a very large convention that attracts many people from all around the world. It also attracts those who are very passionate about their belief and want to protest their beliefs. “Traditionally conventions draw thousands of delegates, donors and party leaders to the host cities for several days of festivities” (Norwood, 2020, pg 1). Needless to say this is a large event with many people and there is a risk for potential dangers around every corner. So when an eight-year-old boy goes missing and has been missing for over five hours. When the first responding City of Miami police officer arrives they obviously need to talk to the family to gather information before they start informing others about what’s going on. First talk to the parents about the child, then talk to the person who last saw he male which would be the sisters. The officer should ask questions about when was the last time you saw him? What was he doing and/ or where was he going? What was he last seen wearing? How did he leave (car, bicycle, foot, etc.)? His height, weight, hair color, hair length, eye color, scars, marks, and tattoos. Does he have any mental disabilities and did he make any suicidal statements before leaving. Also is there any trackable technology that the juvenile has on his person. Depending on the agency or department the officer can ask for the juvenile’s social security number and where the child was born. Then from there your BOLO (be on the lookout) can be issued. Even though there is a good chance the child may return it is always best to get all of this information.

When the officer asked the mother for the dental records of the child that has only been missing for five hours, was not appropriate at this time. “Dental records and radiographs are generally sought in cases when conventional identification such as visual or by fingerprints is not possible” (Collins, 2004, pg 3). Dental records are mainly for when the body can no longer be identified by visual due to the body being decomposed, no fingerprints available, and/ or the body being in pieces. Due to this juvenile only being missing five hours this question was no appropriate and can make the parents panic more than they already are. This is the type of question that should be asked after 48 hours of the child missing.

As soon as the information is gathered by the law enforcement officer the DRNC Incident Command Post should be notified of the missing juvenile. The more people that is aware that the child is missing means there are more people on the lookout for him. Another reason the command post should be notified is due to the child being from out of state the child doesn’t know where they are, they know nothing about the area. At this point you have an endangered child.

An Amber Alert is an alert that is broadcasted on new medias and/ or the electric roadway signs, these alerts contain information about the missing juvenile who is kidnapped and/ or in danger of great bodily injury or death. For this case due to the circumstances law enforcement should not issue an Amber Alert. The reason being is that at this time there is no belief that the child has been abducted and is not in grave danger to great bodily harm or death. Child usually in 99% of the cases return within one hour of the parents reporting them missing. There is a risk factor due to the juvenile being in an unfamiliar place does raise the bars higher when it comes to a juvenile being endangered. Imagine being eight years old and being lost in a city you’ve never been in. This would make any child panic especially if they have wandered outside of the hotel.

Being assigned this case the first steps that would be taken is talk to the parents and figure out their basic information. Then speak with the siblings due to them being the last ones to see the brother. Go back and speak with the parents and get information on the son (date of birth, SSN, scars, marks, tattoos, any diagnosis). A BOLO should be issued once all information is gathered. Then meet with hotel security and review their surveillance footage to see if they can locate the juvenile to try and get a clothing description or a direction of travel. If it is seen the juvenile left of foot, k9 should be contracted to try and do a track. Air should also be notified do to the time frame to help in locating the juvenile. At this time an Amber alert is not necessary and asking for dental records is not necessary. Notifying the surrounding agencies to be on the lookout for the juvenile. Hopefully once all is in place and every piece of information is broadcasted out, the juvenile will be located. There are many steps for getting a juvenile entered into NCIC/FCIC as missing and this notified surrounding counties of the missing juvenile. Having patrol units flood the area in attempts to locate the juvenile would help as well. Being in an unfamiliar city is very scary and dangerous for a juvenile because they are unsure where to go for safety. The siblings should have never let the subject roam the hotel alone knowing the possibilities of something bad occurring.

Conclusion

At the end of the day not every scenario is the same and no call should ever be treated the same. To be effective and to be able to get the proper people notified officers must first ask the appropriate and pertinent questions to gather information. In this event the child is missing in an unfamiliar environment with a lot of people who are present for the convention. There are a lot of dangers that are presented and should be handled accordingly by notifying the correct people. If officers do their job effectively, they must gather the correct information as soon as possible and get it