BURLINGAME, Calif. - s4story -- On December 11, 1995, a 9-year-old girl was kidnapped on her way home from school. In a race against time, police used a new technology to rapidly broadcast her photo to the media. The pressure on her abductors was immediate, and thanks to that swift action, she was released safely that same night.

Thirty years later, Critical Reach, the nonprofit organization behind that breakthrough technology, is marking the anniversary by launching a bold new initiative: A Safer School for Every Child.

For three decades, our APBnet™ platform has protected 50+ million community members by helping police officers find missing persons, connect cases, and keep officers safe. Today, as schools face rising threats, we are expanding that legacy through a crowdfunding campaign for Learn Secure™, a platform that connects schools directly to first responders when every second counts.

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A New Model for Safety
Currently, school safety is dangerously disconnected. Because technology is purchased district by district, systems often cannot talk to one another. This creates communication gaps between schools and police agencies exactly when coordination matters most.

"Fragmented procurement creates fragmented safety," said Dr. Jennifer Dawson, Executive Director of Critical Reach. "When protection depends on budgets and vendor contracts, inequity is built into the system. Some communities get life-saving tools; others do not. That inequality puts children at risk. As a nonprofit, we eliminate cost barriers to protect everyone, not just those who can afford it."

Turn "Thoughts and Prayers" into Action
After every tragedy, we hear "something must be done," but communities are tired of waiting. Supporting Critical Reach's campaign gives individuals an ability to take meaningful action now: helping us deploy shared tools to protect every child.

Connecting Every Corner of the Community

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Violence doesn't stop at the schoolyard gate. The same system that protects schools is available to every location the community gathers: places of worship, municipal buildings, medical facilities, corporate centers, and event venues. By operating on a single, shared system, first responders can see the full picture—replacing confusion with clarity.

30 Years of Saving Lives. Now Delivering the Next Generation of Safety. This campaign funds three major developments

• Modernizing APBnet™: Upgrading the trusted law enforcement network to better locate missing children and remove violent offenders from our streets.
• Deploying Learn Secure™: Equipping every school in America with Learn Secure™
• Protecting Community Spaces: Extending the safety network to other community locations to ensure a seamless response across the entire region .

Support the campaign that will fund nationwide rollout: https://donorbox.org/30yrs-apbnet