The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) shall
be responsible for investigating all missing person,
juvenile abduction, and juvenile runaway cases where
there exists evidence of foul play; suicidal tendencies;
life-threatening medical, physical, or emotional
conditions; or any other unusual circumstances.
LEGAL BACKGROUND
A. National Child Search Assistance Act of 1990 (Title XXXVII)
Every state must ensure that none of its law
enforcement agencies establishes or maintains
any policy that requires observing any waiting
period before accepting a report of a missing
child or unidentified person.
Reports with all available information must
be entered as soon as possible into the state
law enforcement system and the National Crime
Information Center (NCIC) computer system and
be made available to the state’s Missing Child
Information Clearinghouse. The law enforcement agency shall:
1. Verify and update each record with
additional information, including medical
and dental records, if available, no later
than sixty days after the original entry of the record;
2. Institute or assist with appropriate
search and investigation procedures; and
3. For missing children cases, provide a
liaison to the National Center for Missing
and Exploited Children for exchange of
information and technical assistance.
B. Reporting Missing Children in Hawaii
1. Upon the filing of a police report that a
child is missing by the parent or guardian,
the law enforcement agency receiving notification shall:
a. mmediately inform all on-duty law enforcement
officers of the existence of the missing child report;
b. eport pertinent information about the missing
child to any other law enforcement agency having
jurisdiction in the county; and
c. mmediately transmit pertinent information on
the missing child for inclusion within the state
Juvenile Justice Information System (JJIS) and,
if it appears that the juvenile has left the
state or may leave the state, the NCIC system.
2. missing child report filed with a law
enforcement agency that has jurisdiction is
sufficient documentation for entering a juvenile
in the missing persons’ files of the JJIS, the
NCIC, or both. Law enforcement agencies having
jurisdiction over the missing child shall comply
with any information required by the NCIC.
3. In the case of a parental kidnapping, the
law enforcement agency shall obtain from the
reporting parent or guardian a certified copy of the custody papers.”
RESPONSIBILITIES
A. Communications Division
When a call is received requesting assistance in
locating a missing person from out-of-state or
another island, the call taker shall:
1. Obtain the caller’s name, contact information, and a brief synopsis; and
2. Immediately notify the Missing Persons Detail of the CID.
a. During normal business hours, Monday to Friday, 0745 to 1630 hours; or
b. After normal business hours and on weekends
and/or holidays, contact the on-duty CID lieutenant or designee.
B. Patrol Districts
When a call is received regarding a missing person,
juvenile abduction, or juvenile runaway case
involving unusual circumstances, a beat officer
shall be assigned to the case to conduct the
initial investigation. The assigned officer shall:
1. Interview the reporting person to obtain a
description and gather information that could
assist in locating the person. If possible,
a recent photograph should be obtained;
2. Request that the Communications Division
issue an All-Points Bulletin with the gathered information;
3. Immediately notify his or her supervisor
and the Missing Persons Detail of the CID.
a. During normal business hours, Monday to
Friday, 0745 to 1630 hours; or
b. After normal business hours and on weekends
and/or holidays, contact the on-duty CID lieutenant or designee.
4. If the missing or abducted person is found
after the CID has been notified, immediately
contact the CID’s Missing Persons Detail or
on-duty CID lieutenant or designee for a case disposition.
5. When a call is received requesting assistance
in locating a missing person from out-of-state
or another island, the call taker shall:
a. Obtain the caller’s name, contact information,
and a brief synopsis; and
b. Initiate a Miscellaneous Public report and
immediately notify his or her supervisor and
the Missing Persons Detail of the CID.
(1) During normal business hours, Monday to
Friday, 0745 to 1630 hours; or
(2) After normal business hours and on weekends
and/or holidays, contact the on-duty CID lieutenant or designee.
6. When a person designated as a “Help Locate” is found, the officers shall:
a. Immediately notify the Missing Persons Detail of the CID.
(1) During normal business hours, Monday to Friday, 0745 to 1630 hours; or
(2) After normal business hours and on weekends
and/or holidays, contact the on-duty CID lieutenant or designee.
b. Submit a follow-up report under the assigned
Miscellaneous Public report number.
B. CID
1. The Missing Persons Detail of the CID shall be responsible for:
a. Adding and removing names into the Honolulu
Police Department’s LEQM files under the designation of “Help Locate;”
b. Investigating all missing persons and “Help Locate” cases; and
c. Investigating juvenile runaway cases where
there exists evidence of foul play; suicidal
tendencies; life-threatening medical, physical,
or emotional conditions; or any other unusual circumstances.
(1) For cases received after normal business
hours, the on-duty CID lieutenant or designee
shall immediately assign the on-call missing
persons investigator to the investigation.
(2) If circumstances meet the criteria for
an abducted juvenile under the Minor Abducted
in Life-threatening Emergency and America’s
Missing Broadcast Emergency Response (MAILE
AMBER) Alert plan, the Homicide Detail lieutenant
or designee shall activate the MAILE AMBER
Alert plan. Refer to Policy 4.59, MAILE AMBER ALERT PLAN.
2. The CID’s Major Crimes Detail shall be
responsible for investigating all juvenile abductions.
a. Upon notification of a juvenile abduction,
the Major Crimes Detail lieutenant or designee
shall immediately assign a detective to the investigation.
b. If circumstances meet the criteria for an
abducted juvenile under the MAILE AMBER Alert
plan, the detective shall immediately notify
the Homicide Detail lieutenant or designee to
activate the MAILE AMBER Alert Plan. Refer to
Policy 4.59, MAILE AMBER ALERT PLAN.
C. Missing Child Center-Hawaii
The services of the Missing Child Center-Hawaii
are available to assist in locating missing juveniles.
NEWS MEDIA
A. When the Missing Persons Detail supervisor,
Homicide Detail lieutenant, or a designee
determines that a missing persons alert bulletin
shall be released to local and/or national
television stations, the media liaison shall
be notified. Case information and reasons for
the necessity of the media release shall be provided.
B. Photographs of missing juveniles shall not
be released to the media without clearance
from the CID’s Missing Persons Detail supervisor
or the on-duty lieutenant in charge of cases
after regular hours. Permission must be obtained
from the child’s legal guardian or parents.
C. The guidelines established in Policies 5.06,
MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS; and 8.01, DEPARTMENTAL
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE, shall be observed when
disseminating any information to the news media.