TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: Approve the Voluntary Cooperation Mutual Aid Agreement Between Participating Agencies and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to Form a Fort Myers Regional Operation Center Child Abduction Response Team.
Recommended Action
Option 1: Approve the Voluntary Cooperation Mutual Aid Agreement between participating agencies and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to form a Fort Myers Regional Operation Center Child Abduction Response Team (CART).
City Commission Options
Option 1: Approve the Voluntary Cooperation Mutual Aid Agreement between participating agencies and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to form a Fort Myers Regional Operation Center Child Abduction Response Team (CART).
• Pros: Approval of the Agreement preserves statewide extra-jurisdictional authority for approved CART operations and ensures continued access to specialized investigative personnel and coordinated response capabilities in child abduction cases.
• Cons: Staff have not identified any foreseeable consequences to approving the Voluntary Cooperation Mutual Aid Agreement.
Option 2: Deny the Voluntary Cooperation Mutual Aid Agreement between participating agencies and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to form a Fort Myers Regional Operation Center Child Abduction Response Team (CART).
• Pros: Staff have not identified any foreseeable benefits to denying the Voluntary Cooperation Mutual Aid Agreement.
• Cons: Eliminates formal CART participation and may limit coordinated regional response and extra-jurisdiction authority in child abduction investigations.
Background Information
Law enforcement agencies around the State of Florida have joined together in a multi-jurisdictional effort to rescue abducted children and under appropriate circumstances allocate their resources to missing/endangered children’s cases. This effort is known collectively as the Child Abduction Response Team (CART). The goal of the CART is to provide a pool of specialized investigators to focus dedicated and intensive investigative, preventative, and general law enforcement efforts primarily regarding abducted children.
The North Port Police Department has utilized such resources in the past, which has allowed trained investigators to assist with in-depth and complex investigations. The North Port Police Department has also participated in training exercises with the partnering agencies to ensure the best response is utilized in the event activation is necessary within the region. The principal sites of CART activity are Manatee, Sarasota, Desoto, Charlotte, Lee, Highlands, Glades, Hendry, Collier, and Okeechobee Counties.
The Voluntary Cooperation Mutual Aid Agreement between participating agencies and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to form a Fort Myers Regional Operation Center Child Abduction Response Team has been reviewed by the City Attorney and is legally correct as to form.
The Voluntary Cooperation Mutual Aid Agreement between participating agencies and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to form a Fort Myers Regional Operation Center Child Abduction Response Team was submitted to the City Clerk’s Office on May 21, 2026, for signature, subject to City Commission approval.
Strategic Plan Pillar
Safe Community
Financial Impact
The North Port Police Department general fund operating budget assumes financial responsibility for their own costs incurred when rendering services to other parties in the Agreement. No funds will be reimbursed, each party within the Agreement shall remain responsible for their own costs incurred.
Procurement
Not applicable.
Attachments:
1. Agreement
Prepared by: Jamie Ebershoff, Executive Assistant
Department Director: Todd R. Garrison, Chief of Police