What action must be taken if a warrant for the arrest of a person for taking or retaining a missing child or person is obtained?

• A. Enter the name and other descriptive information of the person into the NCIC wanted person file.
• B. Notify the local news media.
• C. Hold the person without entering any NCIC data.
• D. Report to the state bar association.

Answer: (A)

When a warrant for arrest in a missing child or missing person case is issued, the essential action is to enter the person’s name and descriptive information into the NCIC Wanted Person File. This makes the warrant visible to law enforcement agencies nationwide, not just where the warrant was issued, so officers across jurisdictions can quickly recognize and apprehend the individual if encountered. The entry typically includes identifiers such as name and aliases, date of birth, sex, race, physical descriptors, last known address, along with the issuing agency, case number, offense, and date of the warrant. This cross-agency visibility speeds locating the person and enforcing the warrant, which is why this step is required.

Notifying the news media doesn’t provide the necessary cross-jurisdictional alert that NCIC offers. Holding the person without NCIC data fails to leverage nationwide coordination, and reporting to the state bar association is unrelated to arrest enforcement.