In early 2022, Lane County Missing launched a project to tackle the work of helping locate missing persons from our area. In doing so, we decided to put together a brief synopsis of what it is that we are trying to do, what we’ve accomplished so far, and what are next steps are.  The are summarized below.

Problem Statement – What is the problem that we are trying to solve?

• Exposure
  • Getting information out in a timely manner.
  • Keeping information in front of people as time goes on.
  • Getting more exposure in more places.
• Help
  • Law enforcement funds and resources are stretched thin
  • Volunteers are hard to come by
• Information
  • Lack of resources
  • Inaccurate, unreliable
    • Example: Missing Person sites will include a person’s age. However, the age reflects the person’s age at the time that they went missing and not their current age.
    • Example: Photos of missing persons also reflect the person’s age at time of disappearance.
  • Information Gaps
  • Lack of photos
  • Information not kept current
  • Disposition of those found are unknown

What we’ve done:

• Built a custom database to accommodate multiple sources
• Created programs to download information automatically from the Oregon State Police
• Built an admin tool for managing the data on our end including photo management
• Hours of research populating the database from multiple sources
• Created Ad Generator to displaying Missing Person ads. These ads are seen roughly 25,000 times per day (and growing.)
• Created and launched an Online Missing Persons Report tool (unofficial) so that information can get out online as quickly as possible.

What’s next:

• Complete work on a new missing persons web site that is independent of Lane County Missing
• Create a 501c3 non-profit for the new site and organization so that we can seek grants and accept donations
• Expand into other Oregon counties
• Expand outside of Oregon

LCM founder Michael Weber explains the goals of the Missing Persons Project on KEZI 9 News

Here is how this project can help:

• Increase exposure to missing people
  • Provide a way to collect new missing person information before it becomes official. Publish and display ads/posts for unofficial missing persons.
  • Use custom algorithms to ensure balance in missing person ad exposure
  • Utilize text alerts and email notifications to reach more people.
  • Develop further channels to maximize exposure
  • Ads on Facebook and other channels for the new Missing Persons site we will be launching
• Utilize business/organizational sponsorships as a community engagement opportunity.
  • Sponsorships:
    • Create and foster community standing by showing commitment to the greater good of the community.
    • Helps give exposure to families that can’t afford to advertise their loved ones.
    • Can reduce tax burden.
    • Can promote civic engagement.
  • Sponsor wall – A page on the site listing donors that have chosen to appear. Gold, Silver, Platinum levels, etc.
  • Missing person ads with sponsorship info at the bottom.
    • Display on
      • Web Sites
        • Lane County Missing (LCM)
        • Oregon Crime News (OCN)
        • Embed code for others
      • Facebook pages and groups
        • Lane County Missing (LCM) and Oregon Crime News (OCN)
        • Other applicable area groups
        • New Missing Persons Facebook group and page
      • Twitter
      • Instagram
      • Email Newsletter
      • Include QR & Short Link
    • Help
      • Help law enforcement efforts by giving them access to the system possibly with extra features.
      • Create family and volunteer access to the system to help with updating the information.
    • Information
      • Become a source of truth for information
      • Make information as accurate and reliable as possible
        • Connect with families and law enforcement.
        • Implement user input quality controls to maintain consistency.
        • Use a moderation process to verify information before publishing.
        • Establish periodic review process
      • Fill gaps in information by aggregating from multiple sources
        • Automated data crawlers
        • Law Enforcement
        • Families
        • Volunteers
        • User comments
      • Create a campaign to get photos for every missing person possible
      • Utilize aging programs to create age-updated photos. Update them once a year.
      • Ensure that links always work, even if a person has been found
      • When a person has been found, include information as appropriate about their disposition and circumstances.
      • Utilize discussion features for people to talk about the cases
      • Create a way for tracking clues and tips
      • Update clues and tips from social media comments on posts
      • Provide a way for anonymous tip reporting
      • Create PDF downloadable posters for printing