Cleveland made international news this week when sites like Fox News, Newsweek and the UK’s Mirror picked up a local story about an uptick in missing juveniles. Now, the Cleveland Police Department is responding in hopes to contextualize those reports.
The report, first appearing in Cleveland19, highlighted a two-week period where 27 children younger than 18 were reported missing, according to Cleveland Police records. Quotes from Newburgh Heights Police Chief John Majoy on FoxNews Digital and Newsweek.com muddied the water by implying that these children might have been abducted for purposes of human trafficking or gang activity.
Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond held a news conference today to clarify those numbers.
“We do have missing individuals in Cleveland. There’s no question about it,” said Drummond during the virtual news conference. “We don’t have any information that human traffickers are targeting children, however. If there is any indication, we’ll bring our resources to bear.”
Most of these cases are runaways, Drummond says. Overall, 1,072 juveniles have been reported missing in the past year, but 1,020 of those children have been returned. Differing reports from the city point to between 40 or 50 active cases.
Still, despite saying they don’t see an uptick and that reports are more common during the summer months, the department did confirm that 27 missing children reports is a 20% increase year over year.
Cleveland has five detectives assigned specifically to missing persons, Drummond says, as well as Det. Kevin Callahan, who reviews each missing persons report in Lake, Cuyahoga and Geauga counties. The department also stressed that it looks closely at the circumstances of each case. A family fight before a child goes missing is often an indicator of a runaway, and a report of someone being pulled into a car can be something much more grave. Specific action is case to case.
“For example,” Drummond says, “any child that is missing under 13 years of age, they actually get elevated up to my level, and I start making calls and pushing the bells. So we look at different circumstances.”
Regardless of circumstances, however, Drummond says his department approaches every case with vigor — even a runaway can be in danger.
Here are a few things you can do to keep your young ones safe, according to the Cleveland Police Department:
Remember that there is no time limit for a missing person report. A common misconception is that one must wait 24 hours before filing a missing persons report.
If you have tips, call 216-621-1124 or 911 or crime stoppers 216-25-crime
Make sure you have current photos of your child. This can help when notifying the public.
Know your child’s habits. Where do they hang out? What shoes are they likely wearing? What are their favorite things to do? Who are their friends and what are their contacts? Anything can help an investigation.
Get your child involved. Programs like Hoops After Dark, a collaboration between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the City of Cleveland, keep kids off the streets.
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