Many teenagers get the urge to run away from home.  Are local cases like this on the rise?  Local police statistics don't indicate they are...but I figured it was a more common occurence during the summer months. Because we got info on three in the last couple of weeks, it prompted me to do a little digging to find out just how big a problem it is.

Shreveport Police Sgt. Jim Taliaferro tells me Youth Bureau investigators get more calls about runaway teenagers when school is in session than during the summertime.  He says that's mainly because of curfew laws in place.  That was a bit of a surprise to me.  In 2011, there were 463 reported runaway cases.  So far this year, there have been 271.  As I mentioned, three of those happened within the last two weeks.

On the 6th, 16-year-old runaway Toryana Turner was found at a house in the 5900 block of North Market St.  Police say 37-year-old sex offender Dave Delaney was arrested in that case, and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

This past Monday, 17-year-old runaway Brittany Decker "turned herself in" at the Caddo Sheriff's Office substation on North Market.  That case is still being investigated.

And 14-year-old LaPrecious Bryant remains missing.  Her grandparents haven't seen her since she left their home in the 1700 block of Clanton in June.

Sgt. Taliaferro has some things police want parents and guardians to know and do:

* Report the missing child ASAP...don't wait!

* Give police a current photo, not one from five or ten years ago.  If you don't have one, take one...identification kits are available at the Caddo Sheriff's Office.

* Is the child a runaway or a victim? Let police make that determination.

* Swallow your pride...no one is judging the parents or guardians for the child running away.  Remember...cops are parents, too!

If you need any more info, you can contact the Shreveport Police Department.

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