Nassau REACH program aims to help missing persons

When Sean Cronin was 3 years old, he wandered off to the park alone. At 10, he made his way down the block, again alone. Each time Sean went off, a Good Samaritan or a neighborhood search team brought him home, said his mother, Kelly Ann Cronin.

"If he likes something, he'll just go," she said Saturday. "It's frightening."

That fear prompted her to register Sean, now 12, and his sister, Sheila, 10, both of whom have autism, with Nassau County police's REACH Program, a new initiative to create a database of Nassau residents who have cognitive issues such as autism and Alzheimer's.

Police say the system, which records a person's name, photo, contacts and history, will help them instantly put out alerts when a person goes missing.

Saturday at the Nassau County Police Academy in Massapequa Park, about 100 people, including Cronin, lined up to register their loved ones and friends with the new system.

"You never know what could happen," said Cronin, 47, of Massapequa Park, who added that Sean's affectionate nickname is "Forrest Gump" because of his repeated wanderings.

The system, launched last month, aims to help the county's most vulnerable population, said William Flanagan, second deputy commissioner of the Nassau police. "This will increase the likelihood that these people will be found quickly," he said.

Often, officers take down information about a person after he or she has gone missing. Through REACH, which stands for "Return Every Adult and Child Home," that time will be saved, he said.

Through the computer system, police officers throughout the county and state will receive the photo and information of a person from REACH within minutes of their disappearance, Flanagan said.

The funds for the program came from Nassau's Asset Forfeiture Unit, Flanagan said.County Executive Edward Mangano and Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey, who attended Saturday's event, both said they hope the more proactive program will mean quick resolution of missing-persons cases.

Paulette John, 50, works for the Association for the Help of Retarded Children of Nassau County as a house manager. She deals with disabled people who live independently but suffer from cognitive and medical problems. "Time is of the essence when these people get lost," she said.

Patricia Putre, 50, who lives in supportive housing and has some cognitive issues, was among those being registered. "I think it's a good program," she said.

Gordon Wolfe, 44, of North Bellmore, agreed. He registered his son, Gordon Wolfe, 8, who has Down syndrome.

"It's a comfort that we have a system in place that will get him home," Wolfe said.