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Chicago police and the U.S. Marshals Service teamed up this spring. Their goal: find missing juveniles fast. Over ten days in May, Operation Safe Return Chicago located 30 missing kids across the city.
The operation ran from May 14 to May 24 and targeted high-risk missing juvenile cases. Detectives started by meeting with the families who filed the reports. Then they reviewed dozens of open cases — some old, all urgent.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Unit dug in from there. Investigators combed through digital forensic evidence and open-source social media. Those digital trails turned into real leads, and the leads led straight to missing kids.
The results were strong. More than 65% of the cases reviewed ended in a safe recovery. The average age of a located juvenile: just 15.
Internal teamwork mattered too. CPD’s Special Investigations Unit, Missing Persons Section, and Criminal Registration Unit all fed information into the effort. Shared leads moved faster. Faster leads meant more kids found.
Finding a child was only step one. Investigators reconnected each juvenile with family and coordinated care through the Department of Child and Family Services, medical providers, and victim advocates — building trust with families and juveniles alike along the way.
Chicago’s Chief of Detectives credited the results to close coordination between the Youth and Special Victims Support Division and the U.S. Marshals Service, along with the department’s focus on supporting both families and located juveniles through every step of reunification.
Penlink, a leading provider of digital intelligence solutions for law enforcement, national security, defense and enterprise organizations, announced today that Training Manager Brittany Hansen was presented with the Patriot Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of War program.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the results of a nationwide crackdown on human trafficking coordinated around the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, and federal, state, and local partners arrested 905 suspects and rescued 180 victims — 150 adults and 30 juveniles — across World Cup host cities.
The U.S. Marshals Service announced the conclusion of Operation Meridian, a month-long, multi-agency effort that located and recovered 79 reported missing and endangered children across Ohio, ranging in age from 6 to 17. Officials described it as the largest missing child operation in the state’s history.
A multi-agency investigation in Volusia County, Florida, has led to the dismantling of a major fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking network, with 49 people arrested and hundreds of grams of narcotics seized.
The Nebraska State Patrol says a routine traffic stop earlier this month led to what investigators believe is the largest drug seizure in the agency’s history. Governor Jim Pillen joined NSP to detail the case, along with a second, unrelated stop that turned up stolen commercial equipment.
Foreign influence campaigns increasingly pair disinformation with cyber intrusion. This post looks at what that convergence means for investigators tracking coordinated state-linked activity.