The Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office has joined with other local, state and federal agencies to form a Child Abduction Response Team (CART) designed to better equip our first responders if such a traumatic crime occurs in the area.

The team consists of law enforcement professionals, legal experts, search and rescue volunteers, child protection officials, family advocates, and concerned community partners. With over 800,000 children reported missing every year, of which approximately 120 are considered stranger abductions, our preparedness requires formal training. The Sheriff’s Office encourages every parent to maintain current information for their children such as current photographs, fingerprint cards and medical information to include dental information. There are several community based programs for parents to consider with Walla Walla Police Department and through the Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue program usually available at the fair. Parents are encouraged to research additional information via the following links:

National Child Safety Council	www.nationalchildsafetycouncil.org
National Center of Missing & Exploited Children	www.missingkids.com
YourSafeChild.com	www.yoursafechild.com
National Child Identification Program	www.childidprogram.com