Careers: Police/Missing Person

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Expert: - 3/23/2011


Question
My Aunt as been missing for the past 39 years to do the LACK of the police doing their jobs. i guess the question i have would be.. when or was it ever OK to close a missing persons case with out any resolution and then 10 years later destroy all records and evidence "due to paperwork reduction law" and yes i do know it had to of been approved by the court before its done..so to the judge that did it.. shame on them.. they are MISSING people not speeding tickets!! there is so much more to this story but i will keep it at that for now
Thank you so very much
Anna

Answer
Anna,

I don't know the circumstances of your aunt's case or why she is missing.  One thing that people do not understand is that adults have the right to be missing if they choose to be missing.  The police actually do not have the statutory responsibility to search for missing persons unless there is suspicion of foul play.

I have no idea what a "paperwork reduction law" is since in my state there is no such thing.

If you would like to expand on your aunt's case I would be glad to hear about it.

Careers: Police

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Jack Toomey

Expertise

U.S.: I am an expert in this category for the purpose of giving young people an idea what the hiring process involves for the position of police officer. I am getting a flood of questions from young people who are being influenced by unrealistic television shows. I'd ask you to consider that when you watch police shows on television that they are NOT realistic and most of what you see does not happen in real life. Please do not ask me about potential jail sentences that you, your friends, or family might receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer so I cannot answer questions about probation and parole matters. I am a retired police officer with 26 years experience.I worked in a variety of assignments including investigations, homicide, sex crimes, runaway investigations, missing persons, and fraud.I also dealt with the general public during that time giving a wide range of advice on matters such as domestic disputes, problem solving, teenage problems, civil/criminal matters, and dealing with the mentally ill. I am available to give sound and reasonable advice which can solve most problems. Please do not ask me to do homework questions or online interviews. Young people should not rely on the Internet for interviews. Local police officers are normally very agreeable to assist students with interviews and surveys.

Experience

Worked as a police officer/detective for 26 years.

Graduate of the University of Maryland.B.S. in Law Enforcement.Attended numerous schools and training courses involving investigations, interviewing, interrogations, crime detection, domestic violence, and others. Recognized in court as an expert witness.

Received numerous awards during my police career for expert investigations. Handled the most sensitive and confidential investigations. In 1999 I won an award for my work with high school students while working in my new career in a large suburban high school.

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