JACKSONVILLE, FL -- It's the kind of phone call you may not expect to get, but after receiving it may be glad you got it.
Automated Phone Message: "We have an important message for you. We want you to be aware that there's a sexual predator living in your neighborhood."
It's called "A Child Missing." A nationwide program out of Ft. Lauderdale designed to let the public know when a when a sexual predator or sexual offender moves into the neighborhood. It also puts out messages when a child or elderly person is missing in the area.
Automated Phone Message: "The physical description is a 30 year old white male, blond hair, 5'10 weighing 150 lbs."
The Jacksonville Beach Police are now using the method here on the First Coast to let neighbors know about sexual predators and offenders. In just 60 seconds a thousand calls can go out.
"It would normally take one or two people a day or two days to compete that. Now we can do that in a matter of minutes," says Sgt. Thomas Bingham with Jacksonville Beach Police.
Usually officers would go house to house passing out flyers in the area, but with the automated phone message their work can be redirected elsewhere.
"This program has dramatically decreased the amount of time officers have had to spend going door to door and let them redirect their activities," says Sgt. Bingham.
The "A Child Missing" program is a non-profit organization. The alert system is available in 45 states across the country and was founded in 1997.
The service is free for all law enforcement agencies.
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