March 8, 2023 A statewide initiative led by the governor’s office is teaching police officers around Massachusetts how to better handle missing persons cases and unidentified human remains investigations.
By Irene Rotondo Source masslive.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Police officers from departments across Massachusetts, along with state police, are learning how to better handle missing persons cases and unidentified human remains investigations after a statewide training initiative was held on March 7, according to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Massachusetts State Police.
Led by the governor’s office, in conjunction with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS), the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) and state police, the two-and-a-half-hour online session was designed to educate officers on the “best practices” when investigating missing persons and unidentified remains cases, different approaches for inspecting digital evidence and an overall review on forensic services available to officers in their cases.
There are 1,908 active missing persons cases reported by Massachusetts law enforcement to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center and 19 active unidentified human remains cases, according to EOPSS. This initiative comes after the Massachusetts Missing Persons Task Force recommended changes in 2020 to the law, police training and resources available to officers in a 30-page report.
The March 7 session was the third training held by EOPSS in response to the recommendations, EOPSS said, after trainings were held in 2021 and 2022, educating more than 200 police officers in total.
Heather Bish, sister of unsolved homicide victim Molly Bish, said it was “wonderful news” to hear of the new statewide initiative. Bish and her family have pushed for Molly’s case to be publicized, acting as activists for the families of missing persons.
“We found out in Molly’s abduction, and then in her loss, the law enforcement had not been trained in a missing child’s case,” Bish said. “Municipal police officers, still to this day, are not trained in how to respond to a missing person.”
Molly Bish was 16 years old when she disappeared on June 27, 2000. She was working as a lifeguard at Comins Pond in Warren, the town she lived in at the time of her disappearance. A massive search was conducted for the child, but her remains weren’t found until three years later, mere miles from the pond. Officials still do not know who is responsible for Molly’s death.
“We haven’t put our resources into these trainings, and I think that this will be a fantastic development for our law enforcement. It’s only going to make our communities safer,” Bish added. “If law enforcement is able to use the tools that they have access to, I think we’re moving in the right direction, for sure.”
Dr. Ann Marie Mires, director of Forensic Criminology at Anna Maria College, applauded Bish’s family in their activism for better officer education on how to investigate missing persons cases.
“Multiple shareholders, including families of the missing and murdered and non-profits, such as the Molly Bish Center for the Protection of Children and the Elderly, have been tireless advocates for advanced law enforcement training and the use of the latest technology,” said Mires.
“We commend this collaboration and look forward to the continued advancement of this effort.”
There were more than 300 officers who attended the March 7 training session, EOPSS said, and EOPSS Communications Director Elaine Driscoll stated there are already future plans to hold more sessions “to accommodate the level of interest.” The MPTC added it will also continue developing specialized training at its 20 police academies through a virtual learning platform, EOPSS said.
Additionally, EOPSS said a $300,000 allocation has been proposed in the governor’s fiscal 2024 budget for a Missing and Unidentified Persons Coordination Unit, which will help local police departments in the commonwealth coordinate with Massachusetts State Police when handling missing and unidentified persons cases.
This unit will establish new full-time, state-level positions created to help the coordination, EOPSS said, and the people in these positions will help further policies on the handling of these cases, develop more training curriculum and organize the data collected.
There were a variety of topics covered in the offficers’ March 7 training, which was held via Zoom. The speakers were Robert Ferullo, executive director of MPTC, the Regional Program Specialist of missing persons database NamUS, Lori Bruski, Det. Lt. AnnMarie Robertson of the State Police Unresolved Case Unit, and state police Sgt. Brock Morrissette.
The session included how to collect digital forensic data, evaluating cell phone locations and reviewing Google location history, the analysis of social media accounts and online documents in the Cloud and forensic investigations on video and mobile devices.
Officers were also given an overview on NamUs. The database is voluntary, recording missing and unidentified persons cases nationwide, and is the “most comprehensive” source for missing persons, according to the United States Department of Justice.
However, Massachusetts is not one of the 10 states with legislation mandating its use. EOPPS stated “law enforcement, medical examiners, coroners and allied professionals” all use the database for “analytical and forensic purposes” for free.
Along with an education on odontology — the study of teeth structure and disease — fingerprints, and forensic genetic genealogy (or the practice of testing a person’s DNA with their family members’ for forensic means), police officers analyzed case studies on missing persons.
“Trainings will offer vital insights into the technology, forensic services, and investigative supports that help to improve investigations, resolve cases and provide families and communities with the answers they desperately need,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.
“Our first budget proposes funding to establish a statewide resource to enhance coordination and underscores our commitment to strong state and local partnership,” the governor added.
Lt. Gov. Kimberley Driscoll, along with Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy and State Police Interim Col. John Mawn, said the initiative is important to the families of missing and unidentified persons, as it will “help reunite missing people with their loved ones,” according to Driscoll.
“As investigators, we know all too well the agony that families endure when someone they love has gone missing. Many of us in the MSP have had to tell relatives that our best efforts did not locate their loved one, and we see the devastation in their faces,” Mawn said.
“A missing loved one has a devastating impact on family, friends, and entire communities. EOPSS remains committed to supporting law enforcement’s investigatory efforts to locate missing people and provide answers to despairing loved ones,” said Reidy in a statement.