Is Ankeny Prepared to Handle a Missing Child Investigation?

Do you feel your children are safe in the neighborhoods and on the streets of Ankeny?

Despite an increasing number of missing persons reports statewide, Ankeny has no abduction cases on record.

“Ankeny doesn’t have any high profile or significant (missing persons) cases on record,” said Ankeny Police Chief Gary Mikulec. “While what we’ve had has been a blend of cases, I wouldn’t characterize any of them as abduction cases.”

But abductions still happen close to home. And sometimes, the cases are never solved.

The 30th anniversary of Johnny Gosch's disappearance on Sept. 5, 1982, from a
West Des Moines neighborhoos illustrates the national gravity of missing persons cases, where some 2,185 kids are reported missing each day. In Iowa in 2011, of the 5,354 people reported missing, 4,593 of them were juveniles, according to an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation report.

While many are runaways, 47.4 percent of missing Iowa juveniles in 2011 are
considered to be in physical danger, or they have been abducted by a non-family member.

In reality, no place is safe. Waukee, with its statewide reputation for growth and excellent schools, faced a into a car.

And residents in the small northeast Iowa town of Evansdale are still praying for the return of two cousins, in July while riding their bikes at a park.

What Happens When a Person is Reported Missing in Ankeny

In 2011, the recorded 188 cases of people reported missing, including 36 adults and 152 juveniles. The numbers were a slight increase from 2010, where 163 cases were recorded.

While the cases ranged from juvenile runaways to adults with dementia, Mikulec said all those reported missing were located.

The way the responds to missing persons reports differs depending on whether the individual is an adult or child. Mental health also is a factor, including adults who may have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

For juvenile runaways, parents are instructed to gather a list of every friend, and police also look at the person’s last phone bill and also their Facebook page, which allows police to track them. However, if a child is missing, they tend to gravitate toward playground equipment, homes of friends and other areas the child might consider “fun,” Mikulec said.

Also, when a child is reported missing, Mikulec said everyone in the police department is required to immediately be on the streets, as was the case a few weeks ago when police received a call regarding two missing 8-year-old girls.

“Everyone must be on the street, and we then set up a command post and begin to give assignments,” Mikulec said. “Simultaneously, we were already checking and Somersby Park.”

Police first drove the streets before hitting them on foot, searching backyards and engaging community members in their efforts to locate the girls. Through these efforts, they were able to spot the girls through a patio door.

Mikulec said Ankeny police do not wait 24 hours before taking and investigating a missing person report.

“Even if it’s an adult in Ankeny, we will begin to look for them right away,” Mikulec said. “Most people have cell phones these days, so it’s pretty unusual someone won’t check in when they say they will.”

Technology Helps Locate Missing Persons

If a child isn’t located right away, police will expand their ground search, entering houses to look for missing kids and calling in help from volunteers, the Iowa State Patrol or the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

But today, police also have sophisticated technology at their disposal, which makes it easier and more efficient to locate missing persons.

The Ankeny Police Department participates in a national network called A Child is Missing, which allows police to push out simultaneous calls to land line telephones within a specific area when a child is reported missing. Polk County’s dispatch center also can perform a similar action to a smaller area within Ankeny.

If someone is reported missing at night or in a hard to search place such as a cornfield, thermal imaging technology makes it easier to locate them, Mikulec said. These devices are used in both ground and air searches.

If it were a true child abduction, police could trigger the Amber Alert system, which puts notifications on Iowa’s major highways and interstates, and can also be pushed to cell phones.

Police are also able to ping and track cell phones, as well as credit card charges when attempting to locate a person. Facebook and Twitter even play a role in getting the information out quicker and help cover a larger area.

“The technology today is pretty comprehensive,” Mikulec said. “It helps us to locate missing people very quickly.”

Mikulec said technology can and should be used by parents, grandparents, babysitters and others because it could help police in the event a child is missing.

“If you’re spending the day with your kids, take a quick photo of them on your cell phone,” he said. “It’s easy for kids to get lost at the zoo or the mall and if that happens, I’ll have the most recent photo of what they look like and what they are wearing.”

What Ankeny Schools Do to Educate, Protect Students

The takes a number of measures to make sure students are taught the importance of stranger safety. Schools also take precautions to limit access to schools during the day.

According to information provided by Jarrett Peterson, the school district's communications director, K-5 students are taught personal safety skills. They are to refuse going with someone, using a loud voice, while getting away quickly to tell a grownup they trust.

District schools also have a number of protocols in place to ensure school grounds are safe. These protocols include:

• Adults patrolling pick-up and drop-off areas at each school.
• Constant playground supervision, and each school employee wears a bright orange vest to make them visible and recognizable to students.
• Only one entrance is open to the public during the day. All other entrances are locked during school hours.
• All guests are required to check in at school offices and present a valid photo ID. Guests are then issued a badge they must wear while they are in the building.
• Each school employee is required to wear a school ID so students can quickly identify adults who can be helpful.
• Once morning attendance is taken, parents are contacted if a child does not arrive. Schools also have protocols for parent re-unification in an emergency to ensure that only approved parents and guardians are picking up students during unusual circumstances.

What Parents Can Do to Encourage “Stranger Safety” 

One of the biggest things parents can do, Mikulec said, is to teach kids stranger safety rather than “stranger danger.”

“We teach our kids that all strangers are bad, but kids see adults greet strangers with a smile all the time,” Mikulec said. “This confuses them.”

Parents should instead teach children how to be safe around strangers and in areas where parents are not around. This includes how to watch out for adults who offer gifts, or who try to lure or entice with something else. Parents should also teach “routing” to their children and know where they’re going, which route they’re taking and when they expect to arrive at their destination at all times.

Kids should also know their route and identify a “safe place,” like a business or a friend’s house, should they feel they’re in danger. They also need to be aware and confident when traveling alone.

“Children should not text or read a book when walking because they are not aware of their surroundings,” Mikulec said. “Someone wanting to abduct them might pass by them three times without the child realizing it and see the ball is in their court.