KRS § 199.015 — KY Code / Title XVII / Chapter 199 / Section 199.015
199.015 "Code Adam" safety protocol
Status: in_force

199.015 "Code Adam" safety protocol.

The "Code Adam" safety protocol is hereby established and shall be implemented by all

administrators in state buildings in the following manner:

(1) When a parent, tutor, or guardian notifies any employee of a state building that his

or her child is lost or missing, the employee shall obtain from the parent, tutor, or

guardian a detailed description of the minor, including but not limited to the name,

age, color of eyes, height, weight, clothing, and the shoes the child was wearing at

the time the child was last seen before becoming lost or missing;

(2) From the closest telephone available, the same employee shall alert the state

building administrator or the person designated in the state building's "Code Adam"

plan, who shall then notify the occupants of the state building through the

loudspeaker system or through any other fast and effective means of communication

that "Code Adam" has been activated;

(3) The employee shall escort the parent, tutor, or guardian to the main door of the state

building to help in identifying the child;

(4) Persons designated by the administrator shall monitor all state building exits to

ascertain that the minor does not leave the state building without the parent, tutor,

or guardian. In addition, two (2) or more employees, as may be necessary, shall be

assigned to search the parking areas of the state building. This process shall not

entail the closing or locking of any door of the state building;

(5) Any child, or person with a child, leaving the state building shall be asked to go

through the main exit previously designated by the administrator. If, once there, the

child or person wishes to leave the state building, he or she shall be allowed to do

so after it has been determined that the minor who is leaving is not the child being

searched for and that the person with the minor is the parent, tutor, or guardian of

the child, and the person presents a government-issued photo identification;

(6) After "Code Adam" has been announced through the state building's loudspeaker

system or through any other fast and effective means of communication, the

employees shall search throughout the entire state building, and at least two (2)

employees, or more as deemed necessary, shall be assigned to each floor to certify

that the minor is not present. Employees who are directly serving a member of the

public at that time and employees who have been previously excluded by the

administrator shall not be compelled to participate in the search;

(7) If the minor is found unharmed and appears to have been simply lost or missing in

the state building, the child shall be immediately taken to the parent, tutor, or

guardian;

(8) If the minor is found in the company of any person other than the child's parent,

tutor, or guardian, any reasonable means shall be taken to delay the exit of the child

and the person with whom the child was found from the state building until a peace

officer arrives, the child and the person with whom the child is found both are

properly identified, and the circumstances of the situation are determined;

(9) If the minor is not found within a ten (10) minute period, the state building

administrator shall notify a state or local law enforcement agency that a child is lost

or missing and provide the information then known about the lost or missing child.

The law enforcement agency shall respond to the scene and shall take control of the

incident. The law enforcement agency may request that the local search and rescue

coordinator provide additional resources to search for the lost or missing child. The

law enforcement agency and the local dispatch center shall take the actions required

by KRS 17.450, 17.460, and 39F.180;

(10) Upon the location of the lost or missing child or the arrival of a peace officer from

the law enforcement agency which was notified of the lost or missing child,

whichever occurs earlier, the state building administrator shall cause an

announcement of the ending of the "Code Adam" by the state building loudspeaker

or other fast and effective means of communication; and

(11) Upon the ending of the "Code Adam," the state building administrator shall prepare

three (3) copies of a report of the incident, which shall:

(a) Be sent within three (3) working days to the secretary of the Finance and

Administration Cabinet and the commissioner of the Department of Kentucky

State Police; and

(b) Be kept in the administrative files of the state building for a period of three (3)

years from the date of the incident.