DCI Seeks to Receive Child Abduction Response Team Certification
PIERRE, S.D.- The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation will seek certification for its South Dakota Child Abduction Response Team (CART) next week during a mock child abduction exercise at Steamboat Park in Pierre. The South Dakota CART team will be the fifth team in the country to seek this certification.
CART is a multi-agency team designed to mobilize and combine local, state and federal resources for the lead investigative agency when a child goes missing under suspicious circumstances. The certification is conducted by Fox Valley Technical College which critiques and monitors the exercise. The certification is a cooperative effort through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs and Fox Valley Technical College.
The media is invited to attend the mock scenario including the response, investigation, search, recovery of the child and apprehension of the subject.
Who: DCI and other CART partners including the Attorney General’s Office, FBI, Department of Public Safety, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, Sioux Falls Police Department and Metro Communications. The Hughes County Sheriff’s Office and the Pierre Police Department will be the lead agencies in the exercise. Dr. Kelly Glodt and the Pierre School District will be implementing a district wide lockdown drill as part of their participation in this exercise. The School District will do an initial lockdown and then immediately resume classes.
What: Local law enforcement will be given a mock child abduction scenario and conduct the investigation and recovery of the child.
When: September 11, 2009 beginning at 7:00AM. Media should arrive no later than 8:00 AM. Press conference to be held at conclusion of exercise at 11:30 AM CST. Interviews will only be given at the press conference after the exercise is completed.
Where: Various locations in Pierre, SD. Command post will be set up at near the causeway at Laframboise Island.
Those media wanting to attend should contact Sara Rabern at (605)773-3215 by 5PM CST on Wednesday September 9th. Media credentials will be distributed prior to the start of the exercise.
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