BlackBerry

Toronto Police, Missing Children Society of Canada, BlackBerry and WestJet Leveraging Innovative Technology To Find Missing Children

Today, November 10, 2014, the Toronto Police Service became the next law enforcement agency to collaborate with the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) on a new and innovative Search Program, dubbed ‘Milk Carton 2.0’.

This game-changing and innovative technology creates a virtual search party that can instantly expand the reach of timely information about a missing child.

“Every second counts when a child goes missing,” said Chief William Blair. “By embracing these new technological advances we are expanding our search capacity significantly.”

MCSC’s Search Program, adopted by the Calgary Police Service in 2013 and endorsed by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, utilizes strategic partnerships and one-of-a-kind technology platforms to allow law enforcement to instantly rally a community.

“There is no other organization running a program like ours with this technology and the ability to connect, in real-time, law enforcement with millions of well-placed Canadians as soon as a child goes missing,” says Amanda Pick, Executive Director of the Missing Children Society of Canada.

“We are taking away time and anonymity, exactly what child abductors require. The legacy of this Search Program will be changing the way we stop child abductions in Canada,” says Pick.

Also presenting at this event will be BlackBerry, who will be introducing the Missing Children Society of Canada BBM Channel to the ‘Milk Carton 2.0’ rapid response network, and WestJet; a founding partner in the ‘Milk Carton 2.0’ initiative and a leader in community investment and employee engagement.

Margaret Stuart, Managing Director of BlackBerry Canada stated:

“By following the Missing Children Society of Canada BBM Channel, Canadians will get notified immediately on their BlackBerry, iPhone or Android smartphone as soon as information is posted into the Channel. Accurate and quick communication is so important when trying to locate a child who has gone missing,”

“With over 91 million BBM users around the world, MCSC and the Toronto Police Services will be able to leverage a new social network to raise awareness and get Canadians involved.”

‘Milk Carton 2.0’ means a connected community of individuals, media and corporations in partnership with law enforcement to reunite missing children with their families.