8-207 - Lost and Abandoned Children

The purpose of this policy is to establish the actions to be taken upon discovery of a lost or abandoned child.

Abandoned Child: Any child left alone long enough to come to the attention of police, and children left with a baby‑sitter past the agreed upon return time of the parents, may be considered abandoned. An abandoned child is present in their expected location, but without the expected supervision.

Lost Child: Any child who strayed from the supervision of the parent or guardian and is not considered abandoned, may be considered lost.

Found Child

1. Officers shall immediately contact MECC upon finding a child who would be considered lost.

2. If MECC receives a report of a found child, a squad shall respond to recover the child.
3. If the child’s parent or legal guardian is unable to be located or the home address is not known, officers shall contact First Response.

Abandoned Child

1. Upon discovering an abandoned child (in a location where the child was expected to be), officers must use discretion and consider the totality of the circumstances in deciding what actions to take.

2. If the parent or legal guardian cannot be located, officers shall contact First Response.

Health and Welfare Hold

Should officers become aware of underlying circumstances which necessitate placing the child on a 72-hour Health and Welfare Hold, officers shall place the hold in accordance with P&P 8-205 Health and Welfare Holds for Juveniles.