In a program that became especially important during the recent holiday shopping season, ADT helped keep retailers aware of how to help customers that report their children missing. The Code Adam program, a child safety program for retail stores sponsored by ADT, has attracted widespread participation around the U.S.
The program, offered by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, is a training program for retail store personnel. When a customer reports a missing child, employees make a “Code Adam” announcement over the store’s public-address system. Designated employees obtain a description of the missing child and work to search for him or her.
If the child isn’t found within 10 minutes of when the search was initiated – or if he or she is seen with someone other than a parent, guardian or trusted adult – store personnel contact local law enforcement for assistance.
The Code Adam program was created by Wal-Mart in 1994, and has been offered as a service to retail stores around the nation. Other participants include Best Buy, Circuit City, J.C. Penney and Home Depot.
