By Opinion Staff

For a second time this year, New Haven police have ignored a state law requiring that they “accept without delay any report of a missing adult.” In one case, the failure to act may have indirectly led to the death of William Young, 27.
Last seen on Jan. 5, his body was found Feb. 11 in the Mill River. When family members attempted to report him missing, they were told they had to wait 72 hours. A missing person report was not accepted until three days after Young was last seen alive.
After Young’s body was found, police Lt. Julie Johnson said there was no policy of delay in accepting a report of a missing person “because time is of the essence in missing person cases.”

Read the full editorial here.