JACKSONVILLE—In a collaborative effort of many agencies, the National Child Protection Task Force (NCPTF) was able to rescue several missing children last week. A total of twenty-one endangered …
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JACKSONVILLE—In a collaborative effort of many agencies, the National Child Protection Task Force (NCPTF) was able to rescue several missing children last week.
A total of twenty-one endangered Northeast Florida children were located in an operation that featured assistance from multiple entities, including the Tim Tebow Foundation, Operation Light Shine, INTERCEPT Task Force and local law enforcement.
The initiative marked the first coordinated deployment to Florida by NCPTF. Since September of last year, the organization has operated similar missions, locating a total of 118 missing children across New York State.
At a press conference on Wednesday, June 18, officials came together to brief on the operation’s success.
During the mission, they stated that detectives from various agencies, including the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, were able to bring some of their most challenging cases to the forefront and obtain the necessary assistance to solve them.
“Detectives from the agencies represented here have already been out in the field. They’ve already been looking for these kids,” said NCPTF Director of Law Enforcement Partnerships Al Rollins. “But we were able to bring together a collaborative effort of every organization, social services, law enforcement, Department of Juvenile Justice and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, prosecutors, anyone that’s ever had anything to do with these children and put forth a concerted effort to try to find them.”
From the ages of seven to 17, many of the children were victims of abuse and neglect, and were missing anywhere from 10 days to more than a year.
Clay County Undersheriff Ron Lendvay, a member of the executive board for INTERCEPT, spoke about the mission's success and the CCSO's involvement. The agency, along with six other regional sheriffs' offices, joined the force back in 2023.
He stated that the operation significantly aided the agency's efforts.
"This was a perfect opportunity to take our mission full circle and try to bring these kids home," he said.
