Emergency 911 calls regarding missing, abducted or sexually exploited children can be the first step toward saving a child’s life in any community.

The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office recently was named a "NCMEC 911 Call Center Partner." This program acknowledges the agency’s commitment to making the safety of at-risk children a top priority.

Every 911 call involving a missing and/or sexually exploited child must be handled according to the best practices. To promote the adoption of such practices, NCMEC created the 911 Call Center Partner program.

The Sheriff’s Office has incorporated these best practices into its policies, procedures and training materials, making an agency-wide commitment to follow these proven protocols.

All of the agency’s communications officers have completed an online course specifically designed to provide public safety telecommunicators, call-takers and dispatchers with the tools and training needed to promote swift and decisive response in the critical, early stages of incidents involving missing and/or exploited children. Fashioned to be completed in a self-directed manner, the course’s content is delivered across five modules and requires a total of 5 to 6 hours to complete.

“Here’s just one more great accomplishment that your 911 center has earned through the dedicated service of all the men and women who are the first contacts for people in distress,” said Capt. Joe Eckstein, who oversees the CCSO’s 911 center.

Every year, 200,000 children go missing in the United States. Calls about missing and/or sexually exploited children have the potential of becoming high-profile events that have a devastating impact on the victim’s family, the community and the 911 call center involved.

Every call center must have in place policies and training to help ensure every missing and/or sexually exploited child is given the best chance to be found alive and unharmed. NCMEC is encouraging all emergency 911 centers to become a NCMEC 911 Call Center Partner to obtain the skills and resources needed to respond to calls pertaining to missing and/or exploited children in the most expedient manner.

The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office is the first sheriff’s office in Florida to be named a NCMEC partner, and only the third law enforcement agency in the entire state to be so named, following the Boca Raton and Tallahassee Police Departments.

To learn more about the NCMEC 911 Call Center Partner program, visit www.missingkids.com/911.