Responsibilities of Center

The MPIC shall: (a) Assist local law enforcement agencies with entering data about missing persons or missing children into the national missing persons file, ensure that proper entry criteria have been met as set forth by the FBI/NCIC, and confirm entry of the data about the missing persons or missing children. (b) Utilize both the intrastate communication network and the FBI/NCIC system in locating missing persons or missing children. (c) Collect, process, maintain, and disseminate information on missing and exploited children or missing persons. (d) Provide for a centralized distribution center for emergency flyers on missing persons or missing children. (e) Formulate and distribute, both intrastate and interstate, a monthly bulletin of missing persons and missing children from South Carolina to law enforcement agencies. (f) Develop, maintain, and disseminate a directory of resources available for assistance to local, state, and federal agencies and entities, public and private organizations, and others in locating a missing person or missing child. (g) Provide news media, including, but not limited to, television and radio stations and newspapers, with pertinent information on missing persons and missing children on a regularly scheduled basis. (h) Develop and disseminate recommended procedures and forms for the collection of identifying information, including but not limited to bloodtyping, fingerprinting, and dental charting, which are compatible with criteria established by the FBI/NCIC. (i) Maintain all available information on any missing person or missing child including, but not limited to, the missing person report, fingerprints, blood types, dental information, and photographs. The identifying information maintained at the MPIC must be kept confidential, except as may be otherwise provided in this article. (j) Conduct statewide training sessions and seminars relative to missing and exploited children and missing persons, including, but not limited to, methods to enhance the locating of missing children and missing persons and training regarding the operation of the MPIC. (k) In the case of locating an individual who had previously been reported as being a missing person or missing child, provide referrals for counseling or other assistance or aid to the individual or the individual's family, if the individual or his family desires counseling or other assistance or aid. (l) Provide a program of support and technical assistance for community-based efforts, especially in the case of children, to prevent disappearances and to ensure self-protection.