0850.39 Missing, Runaway, Lost, or Disoriented Persons
Refer:
• 34 U.S.C. § 41307
• 34 U.S.C. § 41308
• National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Operating Manual
• ORS 146.177, Procedures for investigating missing persons
• ORS 146.181, Missing persons
• ORS 163.225, Kidnapping in the second degree
• ORS 163.235, Kidnapping in the first degree
• ORS 163.245, Custodial interference in the second degree
• ORS 163.257, Custodial interference in the first degree
• ORS 181A.300, Establishment and maintenance of missing persons clearinghouse
• ORS 181A.305, Duties of administrator of clearinghouse
• ORS 181A.310, When notification of missing children clearinghouse required
• ORS 181A.315, Amber Plan; rules
• ORS 181A.320, Written policies relating to missing vulnerable adults required
• OAR 257-015-0000, Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS)
• DIR 0640.31, Custodial Interference
• DIR 0631.35, Press/Media Relations
• DIR 0631.60, Premises Entry
• DIR 0640.00, Mobile Identification Devices
• DIR 0640.10, Crime Scene Procedures
• DIR 0650.00, Search, Seizures, and Inventories
• DIR 0850.10, Custody, Civil Holds
• DIR 0850.20, Police Response to Mental Health Crisis
• DIR 0850.30, Temporary Detention and Custody of Juveniles
• DIR 0900.00, General Reporting Guidelines
• BOEC Operations SOP 10.20.020 Amber Alert Plan (BOEC)
• Detective Division SOP #44, Missing Person Detail
Definitions:
• Abduction: Kidnapping or custodial interference.
• Amber Alert: A statewide coordinated and cooperative notification and information-gathering system used to resolve child abduction or suspected child abduction incidents by broadcasting critical information to the media and the public.
• At-Risk Factors: Facts or circumstances that suggest a missing person may be in danger. Examples include, but are not limited to: developmental disability, suicidal history, domestic violence history, vulnerable medical condition, or suspicious circumstances.
• High-Risk Factors: Facts or circumstances that indicate a missing person is in danger. Examples include, but are not limited to: Imminently suicidal, suspected or known abduction, or exigent and highly suspicious circumstances.
• Juvenile Runaway: A juvenile who voluntarily left the custody of their parent or legal guardian.
• Missing Person: Any person whose whereabouts are unknown and unexplainable, and the absence is regarded as unusual or suspicious by parties familiar with the person's behavior patterns, plans, or routines, creating an objectively reasonable imminent concern for the person's safety.
• Missing Person Networks: Databases available to law enforcement to obtain information related to Missing Person investigations. This includes the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person File, the Oregon Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) and the Oregon State Police Missing Children/Adults Clearinghouse.
• Silver Alert: A statewide coordinated and cooperative notification and information gathering system used to broadcast information about missing vulnerable adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, brain injuries, or mental health conditions such as dementia.
• Vulnerable Adult: A person aged 18 or older with a condition that includes but is not limited to: an impaired mental condition, such as dementia; an intellectual or developmental disability; or a brain injury.
Policy:
1. This directive establishes guidelines for responding to, investigating, and documenting Missing Person calls.
2. Missing Person calls can involve a variety of circumstances, such as searching for a disabled child, assisting a dementia patient, or responding to concerned family members of houseless or drug impacted individuals. The Portland Police Bureau will thoroughly investigate and give full consideration and attention to all reports of Missing Persons.
3. While some Missing Persons face clear or imminent safety concerns, cases involving adults over age 20 require members to consider an adult's privacy interests and basic liberty. Accordingly, members should conduct thorough investigations of Missing Persons to identify Risk Factors, determine investigative need, and document the circumstances appropriately.
Procedure:
1. Member Response and Investigation.
1.1. In Person Investigation.
1.1.1. Members shall respond in person, when practical, for Missing Person calls, unless:
1.1.1.1. The reporting party is outside the jurisdiction of Portland; or
1.1.1.2. The report is for a repeat Juvenile Runaway, without risk of endangerment.
1.1.2. If meeting the reporting party in person is not practical, members shall articulate the reason in their report.
1.2. Prompt Response.
1.2.1. Members shall respond as soon as feasible to all Missing Person calls involving juveniles, Vulnerable Adults, or known High-Risk or At-Risk Factors.
2. Searches.
2.1. Members shall respond to the Missing Person's residence, if known, to check for the Missing Person.
2.2. Members shall follow Directive 0650.00, Search, Seizures, and Inventories.
2.3. Per ORS 133.033, members may enter or remain upon the premises of another if it reasonably appears necessary to locate a missing person.
2.3.1. Members should be aware that the broad concept of community caretaking, and the community caretaking statute, ORS 133.033, do not create an independent exception to the presumptive requirement to obtain a warrant under both the 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article 1, Section 9 of the Oregon Constitution.
2.3.2. Members who enter any premises must have an objectively reasonable basis for believing that police help is necessary, and their actions inside the premises must be reasonable under the circumstances.
2.4. Additional Requirements for Missing Children and Vulnerable Adults.
2.4.1. If a child or Vulnerable Adult is reported missing, the responding member shall verify that they are missing by thoroughly searching the location they were reported missing from, irrespective of any prior search by the parents, caregivers, or others.
2.4.1.1. Members shall ask for consent to conduct a search of the Missing Person's home and document the consent in a police report. If consent is refused, the member shall consult a supervisor.
2.4.1.2. Members should be aware that in any Missing Person case with suspicious circumstances, the Missing Person's home or location where they went missing could be a potential crime scene.
2.4.2. Block Searches and Expanded Investigations.
2.4.2.1. If the child or Vulnerable Adult is not located during the preliminary search, the member shall notify a supervisor of the circumstances, and the supervisor shall determine if a block search is necessary.
2.4.2.2. If the child or Vulnerable Adult is not located within a reasonable time, the supervisor shall contact the Detectives Homicide Unit supervisor.
2.4.2.3. The Detectives Homicide Unit supervisor or designee shall consult with the incident supervisor and respond to the scene to assist if needed.
2.4.2.4. Upon the incident supervisor's Responsibility Unit (RU) manager's request, the Homicide Unit shall assume command of the investigation.
3. Risk Assessment and Suspicious Circumstances.
3.1. Members shall:
3.1.1. Attempt to determine when, where, and by whom the Missing Person was last seen, and gather information to determine the need for additional resources and identify any At-Risk or High-Risk Factors.
3.1.2. Notify a supervisor if High-Risk Factors are present and report the circumstances.
3.2. Supervisors shall:
3.2.1. Respond to calls involving High-Risk Factors and determine whether a description of the Missing Person should be immediately broadcast.
3.2.2. Determine whether a block-by-block search is necessary.
3.2.3. Notify the relief commander of any block-by-block search to assign additional members as needed.
3.2.4. Notify the Detective Division's Missing Persons Detail Sergeant as soon as possible after a block-by-block search begins.
3.3. Investigative Responsibility.
3.3.1. The involved precinct shall retain investigative responsibility if there is no suspicion of foul play.
3.3.2. If foul play is reasonably suspected, the Homicide Detail shall take control of the investigation.
4. Reporting.
4.1. No Waiting Period.
4.1.1. There is no waiting period for accepting a report on a Missing Person.
4.2. Mandatory Documentation.
4.2.1. All Missing Persons calls require one of the following reports:
4.2.1.1. Missing Person Report;
4.2.1.2. Missing Person Located;
4.2.1.3. Missing Person Report Declined; or
4.2.1.4. Juvenile Runaway Report.
4.2.2. Missing Persons who are located during the initial investigation still require documentation in one of the above investigative reports.
4.3. Missing Person Report Declined.
4.3.1. Per 34 U.S.C. 41307, members shall not decline a Missing Person Report for any person under age 21.
4.3.2. Members may only decline a Missing Person Report if:
4.3.2.1. The person is age 21 or older;
4.3.2.2. There is no objectively reasonable and imminent concern for the person's safety; and
4.3.2.3. No At-Risk or High-Risk Factors apply.
4.3.3. If a member declines a Missing Person Report for any reason, they shall document the circumstances in the Missing Person Report Declined.
4.4. Missing Persons Unit detectives shall review all Missing Person Reports and Missing Person Declined Reports to determine whether the subject meets criteria for LEDS/NCIC entry.
4.5. Report Requirements.
4.5.1. Reports shall include the following:
4.5.1.1. The Missing Person's name, date of birth, sex, race, height, weight, eye color and hair color;
4.5.1.2. A recent photograph, if available; and
4.5.1.3. Date, time, and location the Missing Person was last seen, and with/by whom.
4.6. Additionally, members shall attempt to obtain and document the following information about the Missing Person if known and applicable:
4.6.1.1. Additional physical description: gender, physical build, hair style, facial hair, clothing, and scars/marks/tattoos.
4.6.1.2. Direction of travel and relevant vehicle information;
4.6.1.3. Cell phone number and carrier;
4.6.1.4. Legal guardian; and
4.6.1.5. Existence of any open juvenile dependency or delinquency case.
4.7. Notifying Records.
4.7.1. Members shall contact Teletype/Records to enter a person into LEDS/NCIC immediately after they determine a person is a Missing Person and they are able to provide all the information listed in Sections 2.5 and 2.6.
4.7.2. As required by law, Teletype/Records members shall complete entry within two hours for Missing Persons 20 and younger, and within 12 hours for all other Missing Persons.
4.8. Separate Case Numbers.
4.8.1. Members shall assign separate case numbers for each reported Missing Person, except in custodial interference cases or Juvenile Runaway cases when the Juvenile Runaway leaves with their own infant child.
5. Recovery of Missing Persons.
5.1. Members shall advise reporting parties to call the police non-emergency phone number when the Missing Person returns or is located.
5.2. Members shall document all recoveries of Missing Persons in a police report.
5.2.1. Members shall contact Teletype/Records as soon as practical to clear the Missing status from LEDS/NCIC.
5.3. Members shall attempt to contact the Missing Person in-person or by phone to confirm their identity and welfare.
5.3.1. When contacting the Missing Person directly is not practicable, members can rely on witness statements to verify the Missing Person's identity, welfare, and location.
5.3.2. Members shall not rely solely on information provided by a reporting party if there is any documented history or suspected history of domestic violence or abuse between the Missing Person and the reporting party.
6. Assisting Vulnerable Adults and Others.
6.1. Members may encounter or respond to calls involving adults who are unable to find their home or shelter.
6.1.1. In such situations, members shall make reasonable efforts to locate the person's home and should contact the on-call supervisor for the Detective Missing Persons Unit for guidance if needed.
6.1.2. If the member is unable to locate the person's home or the person appears to be homeless, the member should attempt to obtain shelter services for the person.
7. Amber Alerts.
7.1. For an Amber Alert activation, all the following criteria must be met:
7.1.1. Police reasonably believe an abduction has occurred, and the victim is a juvenile (17 years of age or younger);
7.1.2. Police reasonably believe the child is in imminent danger of serious physical injury or death;
7.1.3. A member has contacted the reporting party;
7.1.4. A sworn member with rank of Detective Sergeant, Detective, or above, or their designee, authorizes the Amber Alert;
7.1.5. The child's name and other critical information, including Child Abduction (CA) and Amber Alert (AA) flags, must be entered into NCIC.
7.2. Required Information:
7.2.1. Date, time, and location of abduction, vehicle description, and last known direction of travel, if applicable;
7.2.2. Name and date of birth of child and complete physical description;
7.2.3. Name and date of birth of abductor and complete physical description, if known; and
7.2.4. Details of abduction.
8. Silver Alerts.
8.1. For a Silver Alert activation, all the following criteria must be met:
8.1.1. Police reasonably believe a missing Vulnerable Adult is in danger of imminent physical injury or death;
8.1.2. There is adequate descriptive information available that, if shared with the public, could help locate the Vulnerable Adult or their vehicle;
8.1.3. A member has contacted the reporting party;
8.1.4. A sworn member with rank of Detective Sergeant, Detective, or above, or their designee, authorizes the Silver Alert; and
8.1.5. The vulnerable adult's name and other critical information, including the Silver Alert (SA) flag, must be entered in NCIC.
8.2. Required Information.
8.2.1. Date, time, and location the Vulnerable Adult went missing, including vehicle description and last known direction of travel, if applicable;
8.2.2. Name and date of birth of the vulnerable adult and complete physical description; and
8.2.3. Vulnerable Adult's cellphone number and carrier, if available.
9. Amber and Silver Alert Notification Requirements.
9.1. If a member reasonably believes they should activate an Amber Alert or Silver Alert, they shall notify the Missing Persons Detail Unit as soon as possible.
9.2. The member authorizing an alert activation, or their designee, shall notify the Assistant Chief of Investigations, through channels, and the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the notification.
10. Requesting and Updating Amber and Silver Alerts.
10.1. Members shall request Amber and Silver Alerts by contacting the Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC) Dispatch Coordinator by phone or in person, and not via radio broadcast.
10.2. Members shall not refer to the Amber Alert or Silver Alert via radio broadcast until BOEC has processed the Amber/Silver Activation alert and made the alert public.
10.3. The member responsible for the investigation shall update BOEC regarding changes or deactivation of the Amber or Silver Alert.
10.4. Members should be aware that Amber Alerts and Silver Alerts are most useful in situations involving Missing Persons associated with a specific vehicle.
• Effective: 01/30/2026
• Next Review: 01/30/2028