It seems that missing children are not always a top priority for police departments.
Apparently, the intensity of police searches can vary by several factors, including age, mental health, maturity, and an officer’s perception of a child’s relationship with their parents, according to a report from USA Today.
USA Today found that more than 60% of police departments and law enforcement agencies set a maximum age for classifying missing children cases as “critical” or “at risk.” This classification directly impacts the intensity of law enforcement’s investigations, with non-critical classifications often moving to the bottom of a police department’s priorities.
The report found that the maximum age varied by city and state. The police department in Louisville, Kentucky, set its maximum age at 10, while New Hampshire State Police set its maximum age at 17.
Children over the maximum age limit often require special extenuating circumstances to garner extra attention and effort from police departments.
Police are often asked to make judgment calls, and when they determine factors and age do not warrant their department’s focus, many missing children cases are left without serious investigations, per USA Today.
According to the Dallas Public Information Office, missing children above the age of 10 are not considered critical cases in the city.
The Dallas Police Department explained the protocols and standards they follow when evaluating missing person cases to The Dallas Express:
“Critical Missing is [the classification for] a person who may be in immediate danger or who is a danger to others due to age, proven physical disability, proven mental health disability, or any evidence indicating that the person is possibly the victim of a criminal act. Normally, a child less than [10] years of age or an adult [70] years of age or older would be classified as critical.
“Any missing person case can be upgraded to critical at any point the detective uncovers information indicating the status should be changed. Juveniles above the age of 10 are still investigated as missing person cases and can also be upgraded.”
As of Thursday, there have been 34 abductions within Dallas city limits, a 17.2% increase year-to-date over 2022, a year that ultimately saw 150 reported kidnappings, according to the City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard.
The Dallas Express was not immediately able to determine how many of those dozens were children or how many cases resulted in a safe return.
