PORTLAND, Maine - The agency that coordinates public safety communication in Cumberland County has been certified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - or NCMEC - as a member of its "Missing Kids Readiness Project."
Bill Holmes is director of the Cumberland County Regional Communications Center, which runs dispatch for many of Cumberland County's police departments and the county Sheriff's Office. He says getting information about missing or endangered children out to as many departments as possible, as quickly as possible, is key.
"And, essentially, that requires the support of all our law enforcement agencies that we dispatch for," Holmes says, "and that all of our staff members are trained in receiving the call and making sure we get it into the computer right away."
Holmes says his agency worked closely with NCMEC and police and sheriff's departments on policies and best practices.
In Maine, Knox County, Somerset County, Sagadahoc County and the city of Waterville are also part of the Missing Kids Readiness Project.
