Sec. 29-1e. Missing Children Information Clearinghouse. Definitions. Duties. Missing child reports.
Sec. 29-1e. Missing Children Information Clearinghouse. Definitions. Duties.
Missing child reports. (a) There is established a Missing Children Information Clearinghouse within the Department of Public Safety. The clearinghouse shall be supervised
by the Commissioner of Public Safety, who shall establish services deemed appropriate
by the department to aid in the location of missing children.
(b) As used in this section:
(1) "Missing child" means any person who is under the age of eighteen years, whose
temporary or permanent residence is in Connecticut or is believed to be in Connecticut,
whose location has not been determined, and who has been reported as missing to a law
enforcement agency.
(2) "Missing child report" is a report prepared on a form designed by the Department
of Public Safety for the use by private citizens and law enforcement agencies to report
missing children information to the Missing Children Information Clearinghouse.
(c) The clearinghouse is established as a central repository of information regarding
missing children and other missing persons. Such information shall be collected and
disseminated to assist in the location of missing children. The clearinghouse shall:
(1) Establish a system of intrastate communication of information relating to children determined to be missing by the parent, guardian or legal custodian of the child,
or by a law enforcement agency;
(2) Provide a centralized file for the exchange of information on missing children
within the state;
(3) Interface with the National Crime Information Center for the exchange of information on children suspected of interstate travel;
(4) Collect, process, maintain and disseminate information on missing children and
shall strive to maintain or disseminate only accurate and complete information;
(5) Conduct investigations concerning missing children in this state and cooperate
with local law enforcement agencies and other state and federal agencies in investigations concerning missing children.
(d) All state, county and municipal law enforcement agencies shall submit to the
clearinghouse all missing child reports received by any such agency.
(e) (1) Any parent, guardian or legal custodian may submit a missing child report
to the clearinghouse on any child whose whereabouts is unknown, regardless of the
circumstances, subsequent to the reporting of such to the appropriate law enforcement
agency within the county in which the child became missing, which shall be included
in the clearinghouse data base.
(2) The parent, guardian or legal custodian responsible for notifying the clearinghouse or a law enforcement agency of a missing child shall immediately notify such
agency or the clearinghouse of any child whose location has been determined.
(P.A. 85-441, S. 1, 4.)
History: (Revisor's note: In 1997 the words "The Department of" in the phrase "commissioner of the Department of
Public Safety" in Subsec. (a) were deleted editorially by the Revisors for consistency with customary statutory usage).