Counseling Reduces Runaways

Metro Police officials say a year-old program to reduce the number of runaways is working.

In Nashville, statistics show that once a kid runs away, there’s 33-percent chance they’ll do it again. Now, instead of just closing the case after a runaway returns home, someone from a team of four counselors and two police officers will either call or visit with the family and child to find out why a runaway occurred in the first place.

Captain Marlene Pardue started the counseling a year ago, and she says year to date, reported runaways are down 22%.

“Our counselors able to give the parents some different resources they may not be aware are out there. Most of the parents that we deal with really want to get the help for their children. But some parents just, they don’t have the life skills to know where to go, where to reach out for that help. And that’s one of the areas we’re having the biggest impact.”

The focus on runaways in the last year coincides with the creation of the Parental Enforcement Program, an initiative to curb juvenile crime by getting parents more involved.