Falcon and Magnum, two specially trained scent-tracking Labradors, have joined the Hawaii Police Department and are ready to help solve crimes and find missing persons.
Falcon and Magnum, two specially trained scent-tracking Labradors, have joined the Hawaii Police Department and are ready to help solve crimes and find missing persons.
The Friends of the Missing Child Center-Hawaii partnered with the Department of the Attorney General Missing Child Center-Hawaii and HPD to purchase Magnum and Falcon to assist in the location and recovery of missing persons.
Seventy-five percent of children abducted by a nonfamily member are killed within the first three hours, so law enforcement experts say response time is critical in child abduction cases.
Both dogs are an added resource for the Police Department in recovering not only missing children, but missing adults with dementia or Alzheimer’s, lost hikers or escapees and fugitives.
Falcon will be assigned to the Area I (Hilo) station and Magnum is assigned to Area II (Kona).
“We are pleased to join forces in this collaborative effort to provide the police departments with this valuable resource,” said Area II Criminal Investigation Division Capt. Chad Basque. “Due to the size of the Big Island, dogs like Magnum and Falcon will be an asset in assisting with locating and recovering missing persons on our island.”
The Missing Child Center-Hawaii, an agency of the Department of the Attorney General, assists with investigations of missing children, coordinates with and assists other government and nonprofit agencies in locating and recovering missing children and assists in training law enforcement, other professionals and the public on issues relating to missing children and the prevention of the abduction and exploitation of children.
For more information about the center, call 586-1449.
The Friends of the Missing Child Center-Hawaii is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect Hawaii’s children from abduction and exploitation. They support the Missing Child Center-Hawaii’s efforts in recovering missing children, helping their families and educating the public about keeping children safe.
For more information about the Friends of the Missing Child Center-Hawaii, visit missingkidshawaii.org.