The Calgary Police Service and the Calgary Police Rodeo Association continue to pledge support to the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) and their powerful rapid response network, the Search Program.
Over the past ten years, the Rodeo has donated over $75,000 to the Missing Children Society of Canada who used part of the funds to help develop the Search Program, which is now being adopted by the Calgary Police Service.
The Search Program utilizes technology to engage and connect, in real-time, individual Canadians, Corporate Canada and Law Enforcement as soon as a child goes missing or is abducted; a revolutionary idea that was realized thanks to strategic partnerships.
The Search Program is comprised of several powerful communication tools such as CodeSearch™, a rapid response smartphone app, the first of its kind in Canada, that engages corporate partners and their employees with law enforcement in the active search for missing children using geo-targeted alerts and real-time news feeds.
The World’s Most Valuable Project™ (Valuable Project) leverages the power of social media to instantly spread awareness and alert the public of a missing child. Valuable Project allows individuals to ‘donate’ their social feeds, which is turn allows the Missing Children Society of Canada to notify users via Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Pinterest of missing children in their area, effectively creating the world’s first online search party. The viral power of social media enables us to reach hundreds of thousands of Canadians within mere moments of an alert going out.
Several corporations in Calgary, including WestJet, have already had success beginning to implement the program throughout their organizations, engaging their employees in the first ever rapid response network for missing children. The Search Program gives corporations the opportunity to make a difference in the communities where they operate by supporting law enforcement with their resources and people power. Most importantly, it can help prevent tragedies and reunite families.
The Calgary Police Service was the first law enforcement agency in the country to build out this program within their jurisdiction. In the coming weeks, the Calgary Police Service will also be asking approximately 2,100 of their members who have a work issued smartphone to register their details with CodeSearch.
“CodeSearch has already helped us locate a missing teen who we believed was in significant danger. I have no doubt that the app will be instrumental in helping us find other missing children safe and well, especially as more and more organizations sign up,” says Insp. Cliff O’Brien.
The Calgary Police Rodeo Association is hoping to raise an additional $10,000 for MCSC at their event on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014, at the Airdrie Rodeo Grounds. Gates open at 8 a.m. and the Rodeo begins at 1 p.m.
Det. Mike Cavilla, President of the Calgary Police Rodeo Association, says “we are delighted to continue supporting such a great cause. Sharing information is critical to increasing the chances of finding a missing child alive, and CodeSearch, as well as those that are registered for it, play an important role in that process.”
“Every new partner that joins CodeSearch brings us closer to stopping child abduction” says Amanda Pick, Executive Director, Missing Children Society of Canada. “The support we receive from the Calgary Police Rodeo plays a pivotal role in ensuring the longevity of this program.”
For more information on the Calgary Police Rodeo please visit http://www.calgarypolicerodeo.com/
The next Calgary Police Rodeo is August 15th in Airdrie.
For more information on the Missing Children Society of Canada, please visit www.mcsc.ca