School Tours : Code Adam

Code Adam for Lost or Missing Children

The safety of visiting children is taken very seriously at the Ohio Statehouse. The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) in cooperation with the Statehouse Command Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol has implemented a Code Adam program to find children who are reported lost or missing while in the Statehouse. A child abduction has never been attempted at the Statehouse.

More than 90 Senate and House staffers, Statehouse volunteer tour guides and Statehouse employees have been trained to do special tasks if a child is reported lost or missing.

What to Know For a Code Adam

Know the number of children in your group, their names and emergency contacts information.
Consider identifying members of your group with face paint, the same color shirts or with other means that are not easily discarded.
Assign children to a buddy system during your visit.
During your visit, regroup occasionally to count heads.
Count heads before leaving the building and before pulling away in your bus or vehicle.

If a Child is Missing

Immediately report to any employee or Ohio Highway Patrol Trooper in the Statehouse. Statehouse employees are identified with a displayed photo I.D. badge.
For security purposes, details of the search procedure will not be listed here.
A found child is reported immediately to the Ohio Highway Patrol and is taken to be reunited with a parent or teachers.

History of the Code Adam Procedure

Inspired by First Lady Hope Taft, the program takes its name from Adam Walsh, a child who in 1981 was abducted from a Florida shopping mall and murdered. The first Code Adam program was created by Wal-Mart® in 1994.