On a cold evening in January 26, 2015, administrators of Jackson County Scanner Group heard a call go out for all available units of Medford PD to respond to knock on doors in a West Medford neighborhood to aid in searching for a missing 9 year old girl. Admins immediately posted all available information including description, name, last known location and more, before an Amber Alert was issued. The girl had left with permission to visit a friend but had not arrived at the intended house, nor returned home after a couple hours. SCARY to have a 9 year old girl missing at night given rising crime rates and predators residing in our area.
Family helped out by providing the group a school picture of the girl and Members responded immediately by turning on their porch lights, walking alone and in groups around their hood, driving, and riding bikes to canvas the area. Hours after he disappearance a couple who are Members found her and brought her home. The story was confirmed by Medford PD with a public thank you to Jackson County Scanner Group on Facebook. The comments, news stories, buzz, community pride and positive comments that ensued gave the group the unsolicited title as “the fastest crime & public safety news in Southern Oregon.”