Crime

National Missing Children’s Day Brings Awareness to Children’s Safety

MILWAUKEE COURIER — In Milwaukee, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCOS) uses the day to remember Milwaukee’s missing children and teach children about safety. Throughout the month, MCOS attended events throughout the city such as the MLK Heritage Health Center Community Baby Shower and the Clarke Square Park’s Bloom & Groom.

Published

7 years ago

May 30, 2019

Oakland Post

By Ana Martinez-Ortiz

May 25 was National Missing Children’s Day. It is a day dedicated to the organizations and individuals that protect children and a day to show encouragement to parents, guardians and caregivers who are dedicated to children’s safety.

The day began in 1983 under President Ronald Regan according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, an office under the Department of Justice. Each year, the DOJ honors the children who have gone missing and recognizes the efforts of law enforcement.

In Milwaukee, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCOS) uses the day to remember Milwaukee’s missing children and teach children about safety.

Throughout the month, MCOS attended events throughout the city such as the MLK Heritage Health Center Community Baby Shower and the Clarke Square Park’s Bloom & Groom.

During the events, MCOS provided individuals with Child ID Kits on behalf of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The kits were free of charge and are to be used in case of a missing child.

In the kit, parents and guardians are asked to include photo identification of the child, which shows the child’s face in color. It should be in a digital format, readily accessible and updated every six months.

A description of the child including their name, nickname, date of birth, hair color/style, eye color, sex, weight, height, glasses and braces and identifying marks such as tattoos or piercings.

Also included in the kit should be dental x-rays, charting and biting impressions, fingerprints, a DNA sample and medical reports.

The kits are to be used if a child goes missing to help law enforcement and volunteers find the child.

This year’s events were held in memory of Alexis Patterson who disappeared in 2002. According to the Journal Sentinel, Alexis was last seen on Friday, May 3. She was walking to Hi-Mount Community School, less than a block from her home.

At 7-years-old, Alexis disappeared without a trace. At the time, the Journal Sentinel reported that Alexis’ stepfather dropped her off at the corner where she would cross the street for school. While students reported that they had seen Alexis that morning, she did not appear in class.

Upon the news that Alexis had gone missing, relatives, friends and individuals looked for her, however, the search for Alexis eventually became a cold case.

In 2016, the Journal Sentinel reported that the Police Department’s Cold Case Unit had compiled 5,000 interviews and that the case file was over 10,000 pages long.

If your child is missing, call 911 immediately. Individuals are encouraged to call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800- 843-5678).

This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Courier.

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

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Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

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Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.