Policy Text
SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDERS
G.O 533.02
Page 1 of 6
533.02
MISSING PERSONS CASES- REPORTING/INVESTIGATING
09-30-2025
PURPOSE
The purpose of this order is to establish procedures for receiving and investigating reports of missing persons.
POLICY
It shall be the policy of the Sacramento Police Department (SPD) to accept, review, and investigate reports of
missing persons. This order was developed using the Peace Officer Standards and Training ( POST )
“Guidelines for Handling Missing Persons Investigations ” in compliance with Penal Code § 13519.07 PC.
PROCEDURE
A. DEFINITIONS
1. MISSING PERSON (MP) – Any person who is reported missing to a law enforcement agency until the
person is located or the person is determined to be a voluntary missing adult.
a. Penal Code §14215(a) defines the term “missing person” as including, but not limited to:
(1) An “at-risk” adult.
(2) A child (under 18 years of age) who has been taken, detained, concealed, enticed away, or
retained by a parent in violation of Penal Code §§ 277-280 related to child abduction.
(3) A child under 18 years of age who is missing voluntarily or involuntarily, or under circumstances
not conforming to his or her habits or behavior , and who may need assistance.
2. REPORTING PARTY (RP) – A reporting party may be:
a. A parent .
b. A guardian.
c. A roommate .
d. A spouse.
e. An employer .
f. A traveling companion.
g. Any person who should reasonably know the MP ’s whereabouts .
3. AT-RISK MISSING PERSON – Penal Code § 14215(b) and SPD policy define “ at-risk” as those who
fall into any one of the following categories:
a. Persons who are v ictims of a crime or foul play.
b. Persons who need medical attention.
c. Persons having no pattern of running away or disappearing.
d. Persons who may be the victim of parental abduction.
e. Persons who are mentally impaired, including cognitively impaired or developmentally disabled.
f. SPD policy also requires that any child 0- 15 who is reported missing be treated as “at-risk”.
4. HIGH-RISK M ISSING PERSON – Penal Code § 14250 (a)(4) PC defines a “High- Risk” MP as a person
missing as a result of a stranger abduction, a person missing under suspicious circumstances, a person
missing under unknown circumstances, or where there is reason to assume that the person is in danger
or deceased ; and that person has been missing more than 30 days, or less than 30 days in the
discretion of the investigating agency.
5. NATIONAL CRIME INFORMATION CENTER (NCIC) REPORT TYPE
NOTE: MPs under 21 or those who are “ at-risk” must be entered into NCIC within two ( 2) hours of
being reported as missing per Penal Code § 14211(e) .
a. VOLUNTARY MISSING – Adults reported missing who have left of their own free will.
b. DEPENDENT ADULT – Adults reported missing who have physical or mental limitations that restrict
their ability to carry out normal activities.
c. PARENT/ FAMILY ABDUCTION – Minors who are taken, detained, concealed, enticed away, or
retained by a parent or non- parent family member (Penal Code §§ 277, 278, 278.5, 278.7 ).
d. RUNAWAY – Minors who have left of their own free will or have been rejected/abandoned by their
SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDERS
G.O 533.02
Page 2 of 6
families.
e. CATASTROPHIC MISSING – Persons who are assumed to be victims of some type of disaster
(e.g., flood, earthquake, fire, etc.).
f. LOST - Persons who have strayed away and whose whereabouts are unknown.
g. STRANGER ABDUCTION – Persons taken against their will by an unknown person or known
person who is not a family member.
h. SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES – Circumstances which give rise to the belief that foul play may
be involved, the person is a danger to self or others (due to mental, physical, or emotional
condition), or the disappearance is out of character for the individual and no known reasons can be
determined.
i. UNKNOWN MISSING – Insufficient facts to determine the circumstances.
B. GENERAL
1. SPD e mployees shall , without delay , accept any report, by any party, including any telephonic report, of
an MP, including runaways , and shall prioritize these reports over reports relating to crimes involving
property in accordance with Penal Code §14211(a) .
2. In cases of reports involving MPs , including, but not limited to, runaways, SPD employees shall
immediately take the report and assess reasonable steps to be taken to locate the person .
3. If the MP is not a resident of Sacramento, a copy of the MP report shall, without delay, or, in the case of
persons under 21 years of age or if there is evidence that the MP is at -risk, within no more than 24
hours, be forwarded to the police or sheriff’s department or departments having jurisdiction of the residence address of the MP or runaway and of the place where