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Managing the
Urban Missing Persons Search
Course
Description:
Traditional land based search
usually involves a person or persons who have gone into the outdoors
in a remote or rural area, and become lost or incapacitated. In
urban/ suburban areas it is very difficult to get lost in the
traditional sense. People who go missing in this environment are
usually the young, the elderly, or others who may not be in a normal
mental state. Many are victims of crime. Investigating a missing
person case in the city is routine police work. Managing a resulting
search operation is not. While police agencies normally conduct
these type operations, many lack the resources or the expertise to
conduct urban search effectively and efficiently. This course
addresses these issues. Topics such as missing person investigation,
search organisation, missing person behaviour, selection and use of
resources, planning, strategy and tactics, and other urban specific
search topics are presented. Two case study map problems bring the
academic material into focus.
Who should attend?
- Police Officers:
• Missing person or search and rescue specialists
• Shift supervisors and Area Commanders
• Police Search Advisors (POLSA)
• Training officers
• Detectives & Special Investigations
- Police Academy training staff
- Search and rescue team
managers
- Search and rescue field team
leaders
- County and Local Emergency
Planning Officers
- Nursing home and care centre
staff
- Long term care institution
staff
Course Content:
Preplanning and
Vulnerability Assessment:
Preplanning issues are discussed to include the components of
a SAR vulnerability assessment for urban and suburban areas:
- A History of missing persons in the area.
- At-risk populations.
- At-risk facilities
(nursing homes, care centres, etc.)
- Hazards and
attractions.
- SAR statistics - what
are they in your area?
- Helpful national and
international data bases that can be useful in the urban
missing person search.
- Differences in rural and
urban/suburban SAR.
- Using a Unified Command
System for urban search management.
- Categories of missing
persons, in all age groups, and their potential behaviour:
- Selection and use of
traditional and non-traditional SAR resources: Transitioning
from the woods to the city streets.
- The planning process, the
key to efficient operations.
- Review SAR theory and
principles of incident management.
- Investigating the urban
missing person case.
- Developing effective
strategies and objectives.
- Tactical operations and
efficient use of resources.
- Information management
and the effects of external influences.
- Managing the media, the
family and the casual volunteer.
- Logistical support and
operation of the incident base.
Course Objectives:
On successful completion of
this course, participants should be able to:
-
Apply the fundamentals of missing person search management in
both urban and suburban environment practical map exercises.
- Demonstrate familiarity
with a Unified Command System in a first response situation.
- Describe appropriate
actions in a missing person scenario to include appropriate
protocols for the following:
•Obtaining sufficient
information for a complete initial report.
•Determining possible subject behaviour that may
influence search strategy.
•Evaluate the need to
search as apposed to waiting (Search Urgency.)
•Determining and applying appropriate resources for an
urban setting.
•Determining initial strategy and tactics that will
produce the greatest chances for success.
•Organizing and managing the initial search effort.
•Communications and management of casual volunteers and
family members in an urban setting search.
Course Duration:
- 3 Day (24 hour)
This is an orientation to the essential elements of managing an
urban missing person search. The course was designed for SAR
trained personnel to expand knowledge about conducting search
operations in city or urban environments. Pre-requisite course
training for this program is the standard 5 day Managing Land
Search Operations course. This course includes components that
deal with planning issues, gathering planning data, more
in-depth investigation issues and the actual detailed management
of searches in the urban and suburban settings. Includes two
actual search case studies conducted as map exercises with
appropriate forms and hands on application of urban specific
resources to solve the problems.
Location:
Dates and Cost:
Courses can
be run on a contract basis for one or more Police Services and will
be promoted nationally and regionally by ERI with individual student
tuition fees. Please contact us for details, locally planned courses
or other training options.
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