Pasco Sheriff’s Office unveils new Missing and Abducted Child vehicle

NEW PORT RICHEY-- Pasco Sheriff Bob White welcomed the many donors who provided funds to purchase a vehicle to help deputies quickly locate missing and abducted children during an event on April 16, 2007 at the Sheriff’s Office Administration Building.

The agency’s Missing and Abducted Child (MAC) Mobile Command Center is expected to greatly enhance the PSO’s efficiency when responding to a missing or abducted child incident.  The MAC is a special vehicle that will function as a mobile office equipped with the latest high-tech equipment to reduce the time it takes to disseminate information to citizens about a missing or abducted child.  Statistics reveal an abducted child’s chances of survival greatly decrease after the first three hours. 

The Sheriff’s Office Juvenile Investigation Unit spearheaded the fundraising effort for the Mobile Command Center.  The unit has helped to raise $160,000 in private donations to purchase and equip the vehicle.

Some of the components of the MAC vehicle include:

1.  Two high-speed laser jet printers capable of mass production of flyers and posters for the dissemination of missing child information;

2.  10 GPS radio units for grid search and documentation of evidence locations;

3.  A satellite dish, DVR and two receivers able to monitor and record local news channels to ensure accuracy;

4.  Two projectors for portable displays of photos and information on the side of buildings at key locations in the area;

5.  Equipment capable of converting photo information from slides, videotape, and prints to DVD for quick dissemination;

6.  Computer equipment capable of updating information instantly to the PSO website.

The MAC is the latest addition of an overall plan to better protect our community’s children.  The first component was a bloodhound donated by The Jimmy Ryce Foundation on September 29, 2006.  The bloodhound has already been used to track the scent of an abducted child.