Operation Statewide Shield
In August, Hero to a Child and Polar were honored to be invited to participate in Operation Statewide Shield, Florida’s first state-led statewide missing and endangered child recovery operation.
During the five-day operation, law enforcement and child welfare partners recovered 163 missing and endangered children, ranging in age from just 2 months to 17 years old. Forty-six of those children were recovered in the Tampa Bay region, where Polar joined professionals at the recovery hub providing immediate support and services to the children brought to safety.
Polar’s job was simple: be there for them.
On Tuesday, one young lady arrived at the hub exhausted, frightened, and increasingly anxious. She asked if Polar could visit, hoping that petting a dog might help her calm down. Polar arrived with his bag of fidget toys, and together they went through every single one. As time passed, though, her anxiety began to build. Polar quietly laid his head in her lap and waited.
She began petting him, and little by little, she was able to regulate, become more comfortable, and eventually finding the courage to talk with the professionals who were there to help her.
Another afternoon, a different young lady arrived frightened and anxious. She wanted Polar in the room but was initially intimidated when she saw just how big he was. She asked that he simply lie on the floor beside her, and that’s exactly what he did. And, for about an hour, Polar stayed quietly nearby.
Eventually, he stood and rested his head on the edge of her bed. When she asked what he wanted, his handler, Tammie, explained that Polar was asking if he could sit with her. Cautiously, she invited him up. Within moments, Polar was stretched out beside her with her arms wrapped around him. The two fell asleep together, and for more than three hours, a child who had been through an incredibly difficult experience was finally able to get some much-needed rest.
163 children were recovered during Operation Statewide Shield. Each one arrived with a different story and different needs.
Operation Statewide Shield resulted in 46 recoveries in Tampa Bay, 41 in Miami, 32 in Jacksonville, 21 in Orlando, 12 in Fort Myers, eight in Pensacola, and three in Tallahassee. The operation also generated three felony cases being handled by prosecutors, with officials indicating that investigative work would continue after the five-day operation ended.
Those are extraordinary numbers, and they represent an extraordinary collaboration among agencies and organizations throughout Florida.
But for Hero to a Child, the number we keep coming back to is one.
One child walking through the doors of a recovery hub.
One child who may be frightened, exhausted, angry, overwhelmed, or unsure of what happens next.
One child meeting Polar and, perhaps for just a few minutes, being allowed to simply be a kid sitting beside a dog.
We are incredibly honored that Hero to a Child and Polar were trusted to be part of Operation Statewide Shield and to stand alongside the law enforcement officers, child welfare professionals, medical and behavioral health providers, victim advocates, and community partners who worked tirelessly throughout the operation.
We are even more honored that, during one of the most difficult moments in these children’s lives, Polar was able to offer something that required no paperwork, no explanation, and no words at all.