Gloucester Township police have again earned national recognition for their dedication to protecting children.
Detective Sgt. Nicholas Katz traveled to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, this month for the PRPL Leadership Seminar: Protect. Reduce. Prevent. Lead.
The three-day seminar brought together law-enforcement officers, prosecutors, 911 professionals and child protection leaders from across the country. Participants focused on developing leadership skills, tackling emerging threats such as online exploitation, sex trafficking, child abductions and creating community-based initiatives to bring home.
The training also featured survivor perspectives, case studies and strategies to strengthen collaboration across jurisdictions.
The township police have been certified through NCMEC’s Missing Kids Readiness Program (MKRP) since 2014, a designation that highlights the department’s commitment to best practices when responding to reports of missing, abducted or sexually exploited children. At the time, the department was among the first in the nation to have both officers and dispatchers fully certified.
The department renewed its certification this year by updating its child safety policies and ensuring that every officer, dispatcher and member of the command staff completed advanced training. The renewal keeps the township police in line with NCMEC’s national standards for response.
“Earning the Missing Kids Readiness Project certification is more than an achievement, it’s a commitment,” said Police Chief David Harkins. “It demonstrates our department’s dedication to protecting children, responding swiftly in times of crisis and working hand in hand with families and the community to bring every missing child home safely.
“Our officers and dispatchers are proud to uphold the highest standards set by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, because the safety of our children will always be our highest priority.”
The NCMEC is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping find missing children, reducing child sexual exploitation and preventing child victimization. Over the past year, it has provided significant support to law enforcement and the public. In 2024 alone, the organization assisted with 29,568 missing-child cases and helped bring 91% of those children home safely.
NCMEC also operates the CyberTipline, the nation’s centralized reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation. Last year, the line received 20.5 million reports on 29.2 million separate incidents.
Emerging child abuse threats are growing at an alarming pace. Reports related to online enticement, child sex trafficking and the misuse of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) have surged in recent years. GAI-related exploitation reports increased by more than 1,300% year over year in certain categories.
Those troubling trends underscore why programs like the Missing Kids Readiness Program (MKRP) are so critical. With standardized policies, trained personnel, and inter-agency protocols in place, police departments are better equipped to respond effectively to both traditional missing-child cases and evolving threats online.
By maintaining its MKRP certification, the Gloucester Township Police Department ensures its officers are equipped with the latest tools, knowledge and operational strategies to respond effectively when a child’s safety is at risk.
For more information about the Missing Kids Readiness Program and a full list of recognized agencies, visit missingkids.org.
