Forming a Child Abduction Response Team: The Utah AG CART Experience

Kirk Torgensen Law Enforcement Sensitive Ken Wallentine Distribution Limited

Forming a Child Abduction Response Team: The Utah AG

CART Experience

Charles Lindbergh Jr.

Overview

Child AbductionHistory

Timeline

History of CART

Carlie Brucia

Florida’s First CART

Activation

Florida success& problems

Utah Attorney General’s

CART

Building aCART

Hser Ner MooCART

Activation

CART IncidentCommandStructure

CARTComponents

Search Coordinator

Venue Case Agent

InvestigationCoordinator

Prosecutors

Intelligence Coordinator

CARTResources

CARTPartners

Utah CART Future


Overview

• Child abductions – Last 30 years

• Jay Etheridge and the History of CART

• Utah Attorney General CART

• How to form a CART

• Hser Ner Moo abduction

• Utah CART today


1979

• Etan Kalil Patz – May 25, 1979

• Lower Manhattan, NY

• National Missing Children’s Day established

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Etan_Patz_1978.jpg


1981

• Adam Walsh - July 27, 1981

• Hollywood, Florida

• August 10, 1981

• Adam Walsh Law, Code Adam, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Adam-Walsh.jpg


1982

• Johnny Gosch - September 5, 1982

• West Des Moines, Iowa

• Prompted law mandating immediate police response on missing children, NCMEC


1984

• National Center for Missing Exploited Children formally launched

• Clearinghouse for resources and information

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0S020rMHV5KL3IBKrWjzbkF/SIG=11ogfjhkh/EXP=1247768396/**http%253A/apcointl.org/images/NCMEC.jpg


1996• Amber Hagerman -

January 13, 1996

• Arlington, Texas

• AMBER Alert System, National Sex Offender Registry


2002

• Utah Rachael Alert created, name for Rachel Runyan (kidnapped and killed in 1982, still an active Utah AG cold case investigation)

• Name changed to Utah AMBER Alert


2002• Elizabeth Smart

abduction

• First Utah Rachael/AMBER Alert

• Helped Jay Etheridge conceive of CART concept as he watched TV news reports

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9G_bDvSFV5K5RgBK1GjzbkF/SIG=139gk3f95/EXP=1247766354/**http%253A/www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/C/can_you_believe_it/images1/eliz/eliz.jpg


HISTORY OF CART

• Jay Etheridge - Florida Department of Law Enforcement

• Saw response in high profile cases (Elizabeth Smart-2002)

• Gathered experts

• Identified resources & best practices


Florida’s 1st CART activation

• October 2004 - CART became a reality

• 7 year old female disappeared from her home

• CART activated at 8:00 AM

• 9:20 AM, 47 members of CART were on the scene

• Kidnapper, 19-year-old neighbor


• CART investigators already interviewed him once and was preparing for second interview

• Citizens found the girl emerging from the woods, naked and alive

• Child had been raped and beaten

• CART successfully brought a child home


Was Florida’s CART successful?

• Appropriately massive police response

• Community awareness instantly created

• Pressure on suspect

• Investigation moved quickly

• Child found quickly

• Child found alive and returned home


Early challenges to Florida’s CART

• Layers of bureaucracy - many agencies involved

• Territoriality among police agencies

• “Swooping in and taking over”- seen as a competitor instead of a “toolbox”

• Division of resources

• Large egos


Florida’s CART 2004-2005

• CART activated 13 times

• 11 of 13 children were brought home alive

• Received NCMEC national recognition for the CART concept


U.S. Justice Department

• 2005-2006 launches the Child Abduction Response Team concept nationally

• $1.5 Million in federal training funding

• Goal to start 10 programs nationwide


UTAH Attorney General’s CART

• General Shurtleff took leadership role in establishing a CART

• Chief Ken Wallentine & Lt. Jessica Farnsworth brainstorm at national training

• August 26, 2007 - Utah AG CART launched as part of the AG Investigation Division


Forming a CART

• Study previous kidnappings – what worked? What didn’t?

• Interview those on scene – LEOs, public, media, support staff

• Talk to family members of victim• Identify all resources (staff/equipment) needed in

an abduction investigation and get them!• Public involved to assist you with resources and

equipment• Learn from our mistakes


• Delegate assignments• Criteria for activation• Deployment plan• MOU’s• Policy and procedure manual• Resource manual• Assignment checklist• Equipment centralized• Training - mock activations• Proper marketing


Individual CART Members

• Select based on – Commitment to saving kids– Integrity– Specialized training & experience– Team player– Ownership of assignment– Highly motivated


Agencies’ CART inputs• Commitment

• Supportive of CART members from the respective agency

• MOU signed

• Financial commitment– Overtime costs– Travel in some cases– Time away from other duties


Status on March 31, 2008

• 36 Utah Attorney General CART Members

• 13 agencies involved

• Basic training completed

• Table-top mock activation recently done

• Equipment purchased through local grants and donations

• MOU’s signed


Hser Ner Moo Abduction

• 3-31-08 9:55 PM CART contacted

• 10:05 PM CART activated

• 10:30 PM CART members on scene (25 min.)

• Incident Command Center set-up

http://mylifeofcrime.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/hser-ner-moo.jpg


Utah CART activation

• Victim advocate sent to victim’s home

• Investigators/crime lab sent to victim’s home

• 179 sex offenders identified within a 2 mile radius



• Neighborhood searches by trained volunteers

• Investigative leads collated and managed

• Classmates interviewed

• Surveillance cameras scanned

• K-9 resources


• Hser Ner Moo’s body found in neighbor’s apartment

• Suspect apprehended quickly


• Developmentally challenged child disappeared after school

• “Preemptive” CART activation preceded AMBER Alert

• Team rapidly deployed• Child recovered safe

Robyn Atkinson CART activation



LOGISTICS COORDINATOR

• COMPUTER IT: Maintains computer equipment at Incident Command Center and Volunteer Location.

• CART NETWORK SERVER: Sets up the CART network server, data base computers, and obtaining remote internet access for Intelligence Division.

• VERIZON LEO CELL PHONES: Establishes up LEO Lines (land or cell) for Intelligence Division and LEO Line for Volunteer Venue. Also in charge of activating/deactivating air cards for laptops.

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• DISPATCHER:. Assists venue LEO agency with setting up appropriate tip-line/Amber Alert/etc.

• RESOURCES: Maintains resource book and provides resources as needed during activation.

• LOCATIONS: Identifies and negotiates for locations for mobile command centers, Incident Command Center, volunteers, media, etc.

• FOOD/SHELTER: Directs logistics of food/water/shelter to LEO’s and food/water for volunteers.

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SEARCH COORDINATOR• VOLUNTEER CORDINATOR: Supervisor over the

volunteer venue. Responsible for getting all pertinent information forwarded to the SEARCH supervisor and the Intelligence Unit.

• USEARCH: Directs all volunteers and organize volunteer search groups. i.e., vests for volunteers, appropriate background checks, etc.

• MAPS: Creates and provides search maps from the Intelligence Unit for the volunteers and update the Intelligence Unit and Volunteer Coordinator on areas searched.

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• VIDEO: Provides an orientation video and Q & A for volunteers.

• BRIEF: Briefs volunteers before they start searching.

• DEBRIEFING: Debriefs volunteers when they return and gathers documentation from them.

• BCI COMPUTERS: Manages computers and air cards at the Volunteer Venue.

• BCI: Supervises 20 BCI employees. BCI performs all criminal backgrounds on civilian volunteers. All criminal histories results are provided to the BCI LEO.

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• BCI LEO: Notifies volunteers who have been cleared and dismisses volunteers with criminal histories.

• LEO LINE: Monitors the LEO line from volunteers searching in the field. Makes command decision to send police (or not) to the particular area.

• K-9 OFFICERS

• LEO SEARCH COORDINATOR: Coordinates all the police grid/canvass /searches (neighborhoods, businesses, vehicles, etc) that are completed by the search teams and search teams subgroups.

• SEARCH TEAM LEADER: Ensures that all the grid/canvass/ searches are thorough and that documentation is completed. All documentation is reviewed by LEO Volunteer Coordinator and forwarded to the SEARCH Coordinators and the Intelligence Unit.

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• NCMEC TEAM ADAM: Search/Investigation Consultants/NCMEC Liaisons/etc.

• SPECIALIZED SEARCH: Supervisor over the specialized searches. Forward results to SEARCH Coordinator and Intelligence Unit.

• HOME-FBI, LOCAL, US MARSHAL, CART: Searches the child’s home. Group of 5 local, state and federal officers.

• ¼ MILE-FBI, LOCAL, US MARSHAL, CART: Searches homes and interviews occupants who live within ¼ mile area of child’s home. Group of approximately 20 local, state and federal officers.

• 1 ½ MILE-FBI, LOCAL, US MARSHAL, and CART: Searches homes and interviews occupants who live within 1 ½ mile area of child’s home. Group of approximately 20 local, state and federal officers.

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VENUE CASE AGENT

• Commands the investigation and works closely with the Investigation Coordinator. Venue agent also pairs with CART/FBI investigators to interview family/witnesses/suspects/persons of interest.

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INVESTIGATION COORDINATOR• SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS: Gathers documentation from private

and public surveillance cameras in the area of the abduction and/or from any leads.

• SEX OFFENDER CORDINATOR: Directs police groups who are interviewing and searching registered sex offenders’ homes.

• SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY: Identifies all registered sex offenders in the area and informs the Sex Offender Coordinator.

• SEX OFFENDER INVESTIGATORS: Investigation teams made up of sex crime investigators who interview and search all registered sex offender’s homes.

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• INVESTIGATORS INTERVIEWING FAMILY/WITNESSES: A team of investigators (FBI & CART) who partner with the venue agent to interview family/witnesses/suspects/person of interest.

• SUBJECT: Works with the venue case agent and team of investigators. Main focus is interviewing subjects/persons of interest/suspect.

• VICTIMOLOGY-TIMELINE: Works with the venue case agent and team of investigators. Main focus is interviewing all witnesses that had access to the child prior to the abduction. This includes child’s classmates and friends.

• WITNESSES: Works with the venue case agent and team of investigators. Main focus is interviewing witnesses.

• VICTIM ADVOCATE: Liaison between family and police. Provides needed services for family.

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• LEO AT VICTIM’S HOME: Keeps unwanted people away from the child’s home, etc. Provided by a uniform officer from the venue agency.

• US MARSHAL’S SUSPECT LOCATOR: Locates suspects and/or persons of interest.

• REGIONAL COMPUTER FORENSICS LAB: Search any computers and /or electronic devices.

• CRIME SCENE CORDINATOR: Supervisor over all of the crime scenes. Coordinates with State Crime Lab as needed. Commands securing the crime scenes.

• STATE CRIME LAB: Processes and gathers evidence. Collects and maintains child’s DNA.

• INVESTIGATIVE LEADS COORDINATOR: Supervisor over investigators following up on investigative leads. Directs briefings, debriefing investigators and ensuring all investigative leads have been worked and documented.

• INVESTIGATORS: Investigators who work investigative leads.

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PROSECUTORS

• COUNTY

• STATE

• FEDERAL

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INTEL COORDINATOR• PRIORITY LEADS COORDINATOR: Supervises

FBI, venue agency & follow-up personnel in leads processing.

– FBI: Reviews, prioritizes, and assigns all leads.

– VENUE: Reviews, prioritizes, and assigns all leads.

– FOLLOW-UP: Ensures that all the investigative leads have been completed and returned to the intelligence unit and entered into the Simple Leads data base.

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• 2 LEO Lines: In charge of answering the LEO line from police officers who are out searching/following up on leads, etc.

• LEO DATABASES: Access all LEO databases for investigators.

• ANALYSIS: Supervisor over ArcGIS, Maps, Data entry and Time Line. Also in charge of analyzing the data.

• ARGIS: In charge of gathering data of a specific geographical area. They assist in creating specialized maps and working with the analysis in plotting data.

• MAPS: In charge of creating search maps for police and volunteers searches.

• DATA ENTRY: Inputs data into Simple Leads database.

• TIME LINES: Maintains timeline of events for the analysis.

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CART Resources• DOC sex offender registry staff• FBI violent crimes unit• US Marshals suspect locator• DPS resource coordinator• Internet Crimes Against Children’s

Task Force• RCFL computer forensics agents• Verizon phone bank and cell

phones • Mobile computer network with

internet-capable laptops and air cards

• Portable server and printers• County/State/Federal Prosecutors• Crime Scene Technician

• BCI field team for rapid background checks and criminal histories

• Team ADAM-NCMEC• K9 search dogs• ARC GIS mapping and search

tracking software and plotter-size printers

• Network/IT tech support• Photo/video equipment• Victim support coordinator• USEARCH• PIO resources• Experienced investigators

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Utah CART partners• Utah Attorney General’s Office• Federal Bureau of Investigations • US Marshal’s Office• Department Of Public Safety• Department of Corrections• Department of Motor Vehicle

Enforcement• Department of Technology• Department of Natural Resources• Bureau of Criminal Identification• Salt Lake County District Attorney’s

Office• West Valley City Justice Court• US Attorney’s Office• Valley Emergency Communication

Center• Airport Police Department • Cottonwood Heights Police

Department• Draper Police Department

• Midvale Police Department• Murray Police Department• South Salt Lake Police Department• Salt Lake Police Department• South Jordan Police Department• Taylorsville Police Department• West Valley Police Department• West Jordan Police Department• University of Utah Police Department• Salt Lake County’s Sheriff’s Office• Summit County Sheriff’s Office• Tooele Police Department• Regional Computer Forensic Lab• National Center for Missing &

Exploited Children• USearch

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Utah CART’S FUTURE

• National certification• Assist in creating regional CART’s within Utah• Provide national technical assistance


Chief Deputy Kirk TorgensenUtah Attorney General’s Office

801-281-1201

Documents

Forming a Child Abduction Response Team: The Utah AG CART Experience