A press release from the Harvard Police Department:

SUPERVISOR OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS MIKE VEST ATTENDS PRESTIGIOUS DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PROGRAM FOCUSED ON PROTECTING HARVARD CHILDREN

Specialized course about resources available to Harvard PD teaches valuable tactics in protecting and saving children

Harvard, IL, July 25, 2014 – | Mike Vest, Supervisor of Telecommunications for the Harvard Police Department, just returned from the prestigious Chief Executive Officer Training Seminar, held just outside of the nation’s capital, at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) located in Alexandria, VA.

After receiving an invitation to attend the specifically designed training seminar for Law Enforcement Executives, 911 Emergency Center managers and Clearinghouse Managers, Mike Vest attended the program on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 22-23, as a guest of the NCMEC.

These law enforcement officials were trained by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Mike Vest is in the fifth row up in the middle wearing the black and gray horizontal striped shirt.

Mike Vest joined 41 other Chiefs, Sheriffs, and 911 Emergency Managers who were also selected and invited, to attend the 153rd saving children session of the CEO course, and Vest is now one of nearly 6,000 who have completed this The Missing & Exploited Children Seminar for Chief Executives was designed to provide attendees like Supervisor Vest a better understanding of the issue of missing and sexually exploited children – and how to specifically deal with the situation of a child who’s been reported missing – when time is critical.

“This has been one of the most valuable experiences for me in my 14 years working in Public Safety,” said Vest.

“To have been selected in itself, was an honor, but to be able to bring this knowledge home and put it into practice, is a plus for the citizens of Harvard.”

Created in 1997 and funded by the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency (OJJDP), the CEO training discusses the needed steps in implementing best practices for call takers, responding officers, investigators, and Command Staff.

Once candidates are selected to attend, all travel and lodging expenses during training are covered by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children through a grant by OJJDP.