NORTH CAROLINA -- An elite team with the FBI is training North Carolina law enforcements officials to help find abducted children.
The team is called, CARD, or Child Abduction Rapid Deployment.
“Time is critical when you have a missing child,” said Mint Hill Police Chief Tim Ledford. “We've got to know what to do before hand before we start the investigation.”
That’s why Chief Ledford called in the FBI.
“You need to get above and beyond those egos and work well together,” said Chief Ledford.
For the first time ever, the team conducted the training in North Carolina this week.
“I think it's one of the best programs the FBI runs,” said Joshua Wilson, Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI. He’s the CARD Team Coordinator
When a child is abducted, the CARD team can help.
“We have a team of experts across US that have worked multiple child abductions,” said Agent Wilson.
They conducted a real life training operation in Mint Hill Thursday. While the town hall turned into the command center, officers walked the neighborhoods searching for clues. Time Warner Cable News was a part of the exercise, representing the media.
The CARD team helped in two North Carolina cases. One in Hope Mills, another in Mint Hill. Both ended up with the missing girl being found dead.
“Sadly a lot of these cases don't have a happy ending. Sometimes we're just providing answers to a family,” said Agent Wilson. “We've had several cases this year where we've recovered children and brought them home to their families. That keeps us going for a long time.”