CMPD operation brings 157 runaway or missing juveniles home again
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers have gotten more than 150 runaway and missing juveniles off the streets and back home this year, an official said at a news conference Wednesday.
CMPD worked alongside U.S. Marshals to launch “Operation Carolina Homecoming,” with the objective to recover missing and runaway juveniles in the Charlotte area.
Through the initial four months of the operation, the agencies found 130 missing juveniles. From April 26 to May 7, they “searched extensively” to recover 27 more missing and runaway juveniles to bring their yearly total of 157.
“Some were at friends’ houses, hotels and there was one who was living with an adult partner,” Capt. Joel McNelly said. “Kids don’t need to be living in hotels, or with an older partner.”
Several of the juveniles found during the operation were involved in dangerous activities — including prostitution, drug and alcohol abuse and human trafficking, CMPD said in a news release.
Most of the teenagers recovered were between the ages of 14 and 18, McNelly said.
To help with their mental trauma, and prevent juveniles from wanting to run away again, CMPD partnered with Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital, Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center, the North Carolina ISAAC Fusion Center and Mecklenburg County Child Protective Services.
“If we don’t tend to these kids and give them what they need, there are predators out there that are going to recruit them to participate in the type of criminal activities that makes us all less safe at night,” said Dr. Stacy Reynolds, division chief of pediatric emergency medicine at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital.
Reynolds said missing children are misunderstood because they often have good reasons for running away from their home life, which could include domestic, alcohol or physical abuse.
“They’re not getting up every morning and trying to fail,” she said. “It’s just that the options on the street of how to survive are extremely limited. Even if a kid goes out there with good intentions, it doesn’t take very long to get cold and hungry and succumb to pressure.”
What to do if a youth runs away
Middle Earth, a non-profit community-based agency in New Jersey that provides youth with prevention and intervention services, says signs that a juvenile is considering running away may include changes in behavior, rebellious behavior or risky behavior involving sex, crime or drugs.
Middle Earth says the things to do if juvenile has ran away are:
▪ Notify the police and file a missing persons report.
▪ Tell others that the juvenile is missing.
▪ Check for clues about the juvenile’s whereabouts.
▪ Visit the juvenile’s school.
▪ Contact local organizations.
When a juvenile returns home, Middle Earth says, allow time for them to settle in, talk to them and look for help, such as from a family member, counselor or therapist.
This story was originally published May 19, 2021 at 6:14 PM.
