TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

ATV Helps Deputies Search For Children

ADVERTISEMENT

By LISA A. DAVIS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 13, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - It will be able to go where no man (or woman) would easily be able to go when searching for a missing child.

The Polaris Ranger, a 6x6 vehicle, is a new addition to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office Missing and Abducted Child Team capable of covering the worst terrain, including swamps and woods.

"This will enable us to go into the hard to reach areas of the county," Sgt. Brett Landsberg said this week.

In fact, he said, the agency recently used the Ranger when a 9-year-old mentally challenged boy got lost in the woods in Hudson. They were able to easily travel through retention ponds, something that would have been daunting without the vehicle, Landsberg said.

The boy was found uninjured.
Sheriff Bob White boasted that the Ranger not only is a great new tool but "it hasn't cost the taxpayers a single thing."

The team officially got off the ground last spring with the completion of a mobile office outfitted with computers, copy machines and other equipment to organize a search and quickly notify the public about missing children. The vehicle and equipment were purchased using donations.

The Ranger was donated in September, but it took time to get it outfitted with sheriff's office striping and emergency lights. Coastal Caisson Corp. donated a trailer to transport it.
Landsberg also unveiled the new online capabilities to notify the media and public about missing children. A red-print alert will flash on the sheriff's Web site, and videos, maps and other media, including photos, can be uploaded and downloaded at the site.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT