MEDFORD, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Dozens of police officers in Burlington County took part in a live simulation training in Medford Tuesday morning, to test their response to a child abduction.
The training began with a simulated 911 call from a mother who reported someone snatched her young son from the park. Burlington County prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw called it a test of their ability to respond quickly and collaborate.
“These situations can go from a low risk to a highly elevated dangerous situation in a matter of moments, so they know what resources to use, who to call without thought. It becomes like an automatic process.”
Medford Police Chief Arthur Waterman says after the simulation, they would review the “game tape,” so to speak, and learn from any mistakes that are made. “This is the worst thing that can happen to a person, having a child go missing,” he said, “and I would say, speaking for the law enforcement community, we are completely locked in and focused.”
The training was supervised by the U.S. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Child Abduction Response Team. Camden County received accreditation from CART last year.