It’s a family’s worst nightmare – the abduction of a child. And to make sure law enforcement is able to exercise “all of its capabilities,” training is key.
That’s what happened on Nov. 19 as 80 to 100 law-enforcement officials from agencies across Burlington County descended on Bob Meyer Memorial Park in Medford for a real-time, full-scale abduction training exercise. A bulletin leading to the park notified motorists of the training.
The training scenario: A 9-year-old boy with epilepsy goes missing from the park. More than 70 “actors” with specific roles in the search run down leads and tips, set up roadblocks, seek available surveillance footage and utilize drones and police K-9s.
“Drones and dogs were utilized, physical evidence was discovered, surveillance was obtained from businesses and residences, roadblocks were established, and tips and leads were generated,” the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office noted in a social media post. “This was observed and assessed by a team from the National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College (in Wisconsin), which will make a recommendation to the U.S. Department of Justice on whether the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Child Abduction Response Team (BCPO CART) team should receive accreditation, the post continued.
“If granted certification, BCPO would be just the fifth county in New Jersey that has done so.”
County prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw told Fox29 News that her office has seen more and more runaways go missing, children with mental-health and addiction issues that make them more vulnerable.
“The training that goes into this also enhances the police knowledge on how to handle those vulnerable populations,” she explained, “how to address or recognize their mental-health issues or what makes them vulnerable.”
Medford Police Chief Arthur Waterman told Fox29 that the training “breeds familiarity” and “gets everyone on the same page.”
“… (It allows us) to exercise our capabilities and see how well we do at this,” he noted. “… It’s all about success and really pushing the envelope.”
The training command post was set up at the Medford Fire and EMS Station 252 on Gravelly Hollow Road.
