Note

Part heading amended by L 2005, c 32, §1(1).

§28-121 Missing child center-Hawaii; programs. (a) There is established within the department of the attorney general a program to be known as the missing child center-Hawaii, formerly known as the Hawaii state clearinghouse for missing children, to assist in the implementation of federal and state laws relating to missing children.

(b) The missing child center-Hawaii shall include programs to coordinate the efforts of state and county agencies with those of federal agencies in locating, recovering, and protecting missing children and to promote community awareness of the problem of missing children.

(c) The department of the attorney general shall employ, without regard to chapter 76, a coordinator and an assistant to the coordinator who shall coordinate existing public and private resources and further define and develop, to the extent of available resources, the most appropriate system for addressing the problem of missing children, which may include the following:

(1) A communication network among county and state law enforcement agencies and the National Crime Information Center in Washington, D.C.;

(2) A standardized reporting system in all counties developed in conjunction with law enforcement officials at all levels;

(3) Assistance in the establishment of trained search teams that can be activated in each county;

(4) Educational programs designed to prevent child abduction, enhance child safety, and raise public awareness about ways to prevent child abduction, molestation, and sexual exploitation;

(5) A directory of resources to assist in locating missing children including names, addresses, and services provided by public and private organizations; and

(6) A statewide centralized, uniform, and computerized information database relating to family-related and nonfamily-related child abductions, as well as runaways and children who are unwanted by their parents. [L 1997, c 259, pt of §2; am L 2000, c 253, §150; am L 2005, c 32, §1(2)]