A joint effort in Kansas with multiple agencies resulted in over a dozen found who had been missing from the foster care system.

Last week, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation came together with more than 100 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, for a joint effort led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations.

According to the KB the effort was a part of “Operation HOPE”. It aimed to locate and recover children missing from the Kansas Foster Care Program. The operation was successful in the recovery of 18 program runaways.

Throughout the week of Nov. 12, law enforcement operated from command posts in Sedgwick and Johnson counties for the purpose of ensuring the safety and well-being of foster children, and identifying and eliminating, waste, fraud and abuse occurring within the state administered foster care program. The geographical areas of focus for the operation were Sedgwick County, Johnson County, and Wyandotte County, though the effort ultimately spanned many Kansas counties and saw leads generated and forwarded to other states.

Steve Hanson, Special Agent in Charge said “one of our office’s highest priorities is to ensure the safety and security of our most vulnerable youth population.  As the lead agency with oversight responsibilities of the $5.7 billion dollar foster care program, we have a responsibility to ensure these children are receiving quality care and services.”

Participants:

• Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations
• Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• United States Marshals Service
• Kansas Bureau of Investigation
• Kansas Highway Patrol
• Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Olathe, KS
• Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas City, KS
• Overland Park Police Department, Overland Park, KS
• Wichita Police Department, Wichita, KS
• Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office
• Sedgwick County Child Advocacy Center
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
• National Smuggling and Trafficking Center (NSTC)
• Department of Health and Human Services-Administration for Children and Families
• Office of Tracking in Persons
• Children’s Bureau
• Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center (MOCIC), Springfield, MO
• Kansas Department for Children and Families, Topeka, KS