Colleyville, Texas

            Colleyville, Texas….In the U.S., there are an estimated 114,600 attempted child abductions by non-family members each year; approximately 4,000 are successful. Additionally, over 350,000 children are abducted by a parent annually.*  Cities in North Texas have had some of the most high profile cases. Now police from across Northeast Tarrant County are banding together to form the first Child Abduction Response Team (CART) in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Police chiefs from the 12 participating agencies will introduce the program at a press conference Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 11:00 a.m. at the Colleyville Justice Center, 5201 Riverwalk Drive, in Colleyville.

            “Time is critical in solving any crime, but in the case of a missing child, it is especially critical. We need to move quickly and in coordination with each other. The CART program, with its specialized team of trained officers, will allow for faster response times and optimal use of personnel, to give us the best chance of bringing a missing child home,” remarked Colleyville Police Chief Tommy Ingram.

            Police chiefs from 12 area cities have designated one officer from each department for the special unit. Each has received specialized training in investigating and resolving child abductions. Participating cities include: Bedford, Colleyville, Euless, Grapevine, Haltom City, Hurst, Keller, North Richland Hills, Richland Hills, Roanoke, Southlake, and Watauga.

            The model for the CART program was created in Florida as a result of the abduction of 11-year-old Carlie Brachia in Sarasota, Fla., in February 2004. Members of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Orlando Regional Operations Center determined a need for trained experts in the field of child abduction investigation and response that could respond to a missing child case immediately, assist the lead local law enforcement agency, and bring additional regional resources to the recovery effort. As of 2006, Florida’s CART program had been activated 14 times, resulting in the safe recovery of 12 children. The program has since been modified for implementation nationwide.

            CART can be used for all missing children cases and can be deployed as part of an AMBER Alert, or when a child is abducted or missing but does not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.

            The Northeast Tarrant County CART program is the first of its kind in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

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