In the last few weeks, the Redmond Police Department (RPD) received two reports of runaway minors.
The two girls, both aged 14, went missing on Jan. 25 and returned home within a week and a half.
The first minor was reported back at her home on Jan. 30, said RPD public information coordinator Janessa Rosick. She added that police responded to the call regarding the returned runaway in the 18100 block of Northeast 95th Street, as did the Redmond Fire Department (RFD). Once they responded to the scene, Rosick said RFD medically cleared the teen.
“The minor was located at a youth-care facility in Seattle and voluntarily returned home,” she said.
The second teen returned to her home in the 18300 block of Northeast 98th Way on Feb. 2, Rosick said.
“The minor stated she returned home from staying in Seattle for a week,” she said. “She also reported being in the Bellevue area.”
Rosick added that medical attention was declined in this case.
POLICE RESPONSE
When it comes to reporting a missing individual, Rosick said, “there is no waiting period.” This applies to minors and adults alike. She said TV and movies can be misleading with their emphasis on the need to wait a certain number of hours before getting police involved.
Once the information is reported, Rosick said an officer will respond to the call to make contact with a parent or guardian. If someone is missing for more than 30 days, she said the individual’s information will be filed into a missing-person report form with the Washington State Patrol.
Rosick said the way the police respond to a missing-persons report varies on a case-by-case basis.
She said with minors, much of it comes down to the parents or guardians and what they know to be the behavior patterns and environments of the youth in question.
And if the situation calls for it, Rosick said police will work with other jurisdictions, organizations and agencies to help reunite a youth with their family.
PREVENTION WORK
Friends of Youth (FOY) is one of those agencies that may work with the police to reconnect a runaway youth with their family.
Derek Wentorf, director for homeless youth services for FOY, said their goal is to work with families so they don’t get to the point where youths feel their best option is to leave home. He said FOY works with local school districts to help with in-school counseling and prevention work. Unfortunately, Wentorf said decreased funding has led to cuts in full-time counselors.
“That prevention work is really critical,” he said.
These cuts in counseling could lead to altercations in school or even suicidal thoughts, Wentorf said.
A SAFE PLACE TO GO
In addition to helping with prevention, FOY also has a shelter for youth younger than 18 on the Eastside in a confidential location.
Wentorf said the youth who end up at their shelter could be running from foster care or just from home. If it is the latter, they will work with the young person to help them reconnect with their family. Sometimes, that involves working with the police, he said. Wentorf added that in the last year, there were 125 instances in which a youth or young adult has left FOY programs to go back home.
FOY also works with reunited families to strengthen skills to help them deal with escalated situations. For example, Wentorf said, something as simple as stepping away from a confrontation and just taking a break can help prevent things from getting too escalated.
CONNECTING YOUTH TO RESOURCES
In addition, Wentorf said FOY is part of Safe Place, a national outreach and prevention program for young people in need of immediate help and safety. He said local businesses with a Safe Place sign can connect youth in crisis with FOY to connect them with the resources they need.
Similarly, Kate Leigh, outreach counselor for Youth Eastside Services (YES) at the Kirkland Teen Union Building (KTUB), works with young people to connect them with the right resources for their situation.
She said if she is working with a young person in need of shelter, she will refer them to FOY or other resources. Through her job, the young people she meets with — typically aged 14-24 from around the Eastside (though sometimes the other side of the lake) — will be in need of shelter after being kicked out of the house by family or friends they may be staying with, or they may be staying at a shelter and have reached or are reaching the maximum number of days they can stay there.
“Each youth situation is very different,” she said, adding that through the youths she has worked with, she has seen a massive amount of resilience among them after what they have had to face.
Leigh added that she does not work too much with the police or a youth’s family as the young person’s safety is her first priority. And part of that is protecting the youth’s confidentiality. But if she feels reuniting a family could be the solution, Leigh said she will refer the young person to other resources to help with this.
