if i runaway can my mom call the cops?

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline and asking us about what will happen if you go to your friend’s house. Unfortunately, we aren’t legally trained here so we can’t say for sure what will happen to their parents but we may be able to help you find some legal resources that could possibly give you some concrete answers.

It sounds like you are thinking of leaving home to go stay with your friend. Can you tell us more about what is going on and what is making you want to leave? If you are in an unsafe situation, you may have other options or resources that are available such as a shelter or making an abuse report. These are things that we can help you with if you are interested.

Here at the National Runaway Safeline, we are a confidential and anonymous hotline; you can reach us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or through our online chat services from 4:30 PM-11:30 PM (CST), 7 days a week and that can be found on our website (www.1800runaway.org).

We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best of luck!

~NRS

[Unregistered]

my best friend is being abused and wants to run away

hi, im concerned for my best friend who is being abused physically by her father. she is 14 and has had a rough childhood and just wants out. if she runs away and nobody knows where she goes can her parents still call the cops. how long will it take for her parents to give up. is it worth it to run away. what kinds of things can i do to help my best friend i dont want to see her suffer. ive been in her situation before and i know what she is going through and i just want to be a good friend. i dont want to give her false information. please help me to help my best friend?

[ccsmod11]

my best friend is being abused and wants to run away

Hello,

It sounds like you are really concerned for your friend and we're really glad you reached out to us. If she runs away, her parents may file a runaway report with the police so that if she was picked up she would be returned to her legal guardians.

One option for her may be to file an abuse report which because we don't know your state, you can call Child Help USA at 1800-422-4453 to get more information on that process. They could possibly also help you with more information concerning other options.


If she does decide to runaway, she could always call us for resources and to discuss her options. It seems like she's in a difficult situation and we're always here to talk. That being said, Your friend or yourself could also call us confidentially at 1800-RUNAWAY, 24 hours a day, seven days a week to talk more about what's going on as well as chat us from 4:30-11:30 at our website www.1800runaway.org. Your friend is very lucky to have you as a friend. Best of luck to you both!

-NRS

[Eliteninja]

Illegal.

My friend is 16 and turns 17 is year.
Her home life sucks. He parents want to move to Mexico but she doesn't cause she cant come back cause she is illegal.
What would happen if we runaway to a safe place and keep her there. What would he cops do?
How long would they search for her?
What happens if she is found.
These people aren't even her biological parents . They treat her like crap.

[ccsmod6]

re: Illegal

Hi

Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. We are sorry to hear about what is going on with your friend. It is hard to determine as to what would happen if your friend was caught. When runaway reports are filed, they will remain active until the parent/guardian removes it or until the minor turns 18. Generally speaking, the police do not actively search for runaways. However if a runaway is found, the police generally gets in contact with the parent/guardian to make arrangements for the youth to return home. Since we do not have a legal background, it is hard to say what will happen to your friend if found. It may be helpful to contact a legal aid organization or one that assist illegal immigrants. We may be able to provide some helpful resources based upon your city and state.

We hope to hear from you. We can be reached by dialing 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). Our hotline is confidential, anonymous, toll-free, and available 24/7.

Best Wishes
~NRS

[Unregistered]

Moving out

Im seventeen and I cant stand it at my house anymore. My boyfriend has his own apartment and I want to move into it with him but he is in the next state over. I was wondering if my parents can call the cops on me as a runaway but since Im going into the next state over if the cops can touch me there. I will be 18 in June and I cant wait that long. what can I do that won't make me in trouble. I also live in New Hampshire so the laws I believe are differnt

[ccsmod9]

Re: Moving Out

Thank you for writing us at the National Runaway Safeline. We're here to listen, and here to help. We are very thankful that you chose to reach out to us and hope that any information we provide may prove useful to you. We're sorry to hear that you feel frustrated about your living situation and that you are in a hurry to leave home.

We at the National Runaway Safeline make no claim to be lawyers and cannot advise about legal matters. Each situation is different, and law enforcement standards and legal rulings vary throughout different cities and states. This being said, we can tell you some general information about things that may happen when a minor decides to run away.

When youth who are beneath the age of majority, which is in most states (including New Hampshire) the age of 18, decide to run away they are committing a status offense. This means that parents and legal guardians have the right to file a runaway report with the local police. When parents file this report, the police then put the youth's information into the FBI's National Crime Information Center. This allows police across the nation to know that the youth, if found, is a runaway. When police find a youth who is identified as a runaway, they typically return them home to their parents provided there is no abuse in the home. So to answer your question, if you decide to run away to the next state over, it may be possible that the police in that state will know you are a runaway. Moreover, if the police discover that people such as your boyfriend assisted you in running away, those people can be charged with 'harbouring a runaway' this can lead to fines and other legal consequences.

We would love to talk with you and explore additional options. You mentioned that staying at home is no longer an option even though you cannot bear to stay there until you turn 18 in June. You also mentioned that you would like to look for ways that would help you to avoid 'getting in trouble;' we can help you develop a plan of action. Our crisis line number is 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929) and we're available 24/7. If talking by phone is not an option for you, we also have a daily interactive chat service available on our website. For chat, we are available every day from 4:30pm to 11:30pm Central Standard Time. We'd also like to direct you to our blog where we have posts about coping and resilience. It is possible that some of these posts could relate to your situation. See this link for more information:

http://blog.1800runaway.org/tag/tasha-richardson/#sthash.uybq5XlN.dpbs

We hope to hear from you soon and hope that you find what you need to help during this difficult time!

Best,

The National Runaway Safeline

[Unregistered]

question

I am 20 year of age, i am still living with my mom and yes i am planning to leave home well leaving state actually i have a job and some money saved and i have a very close friend in another state which my family doesnt really know of will that be a problem? even if my mom filed a missing person? if the police does catches me do they have the right to bring me home? because i am obviously legal and i was just wondering what will happen if i do get caught

[ccsmod11]

re: question

Hi there,

Thank you for writing us at the National Runaway Safeline. We're here to listen and help. It sounds like you are ready to leave home and have made a good plan for what you will do when you leave. Knowing where you will go, and having a job and money are good things to think about before you go; good for you for making a plan.

It is understandable that you have questions about what might happen. We are not legal experts, but based on your age, there are a few things we can say. Since you are over the age of 18, the police will not force you to return home, even if your mom files a missing person report. It also does not matter who you choose to live with, even if it's someone your parents don't know.

If you have any other questions, you are welcome to call our toll free 24hr 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) crisis line and speak to someone about your situation. NRS offers live chat via our website at www.1800Runaway.org 7days a week from 4:30pm until 11:30pm.

We thank you again for reaching out to NRS and wish you luck.

Take Care,

NRS

[Unregistered]

what documents will i be needing?

[ccsmod1]

Re: What documents will I be needing?

Thanks for reaching out to us for help. Without knowing more about your situation, it is hard to answer this question. We can say that in general, if you are moving away from home, it might be a good idea to have possession of all your vital documents, such as an ID, drivers license or, passport, and your birth certificate and social security card. It is important to keep these documents safe and in good condition.

If you have any other questions, you are welcome to call our toll free 24hr 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) crisis line and speak to someone about your situation. NRS offers live chat via our website at www.1800Runaway.org 7days a week from 4:30pm until 11:30pm.


Wishing you the best of luck,

NRS

[Unregistered]

re guarding mom calling cops if ya run away

Im planning on running away. and i know where i am going and i will be taken care of.
But all i was wondering was if i do run away. Can my mom call the cops on me...will they hunt me down and find where im staying at and force me to go home?
If so then i pretty much wont have any freedom at all till im 18.
Answer this question for me. Please

hi there,
My Grand daughter of 16 yrs old just ran away 2 days ago and yes a parent can call the cops and list her as a run away, I just did that and she now is on the NCIC so if they locate her they will contact me. And yes I had an idea who she was with and where. So If you really love your parents or guardian whom ever you are living with. Please don't run away , things will just make it worse on you and I personally am frantic, I have raised my grand daughter and she has everything , but apparently she don't know what good for her and decided that her so called boyfriend as brain washed her and said that she need to get out of her place . and The fact is, Living as a runaway is not always easy, trust me. I pray for you and any other child that is thinking of running away ! Good luck and hope your heart and thoughts lead you to the right way to go. GOD BLESS

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Thank you for sharing your story. It can be difficult for family members when someone runs away from home. If you would like to talk further about your granddaughter, please contact us at 1-800-RUNAWAY(786-2929) or by live chat at www.1800runaway.org. We wish you and your family the best of luck.

[Unregistered]

Can cops search everything?

Hi I'm 16 and will be 17 in 2 months. my mom doesn't want me with my boyfriend anymore but we have a future together, I could be pregnant but my mom doesn't know that. I was gonna runaway to stay with him and his family and they would take care of me and I was going to hide at there house. But if my mom calls the cops and sends them to their house, can they search everywhere in the house? And tear the place apart to find me? I just really can't get caught. Please help.

[ccsmod1]

RE: Can cops search everything?

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to us for help. It sounds like you are going through a tough time right now with your mom and your possible pregnancy, and you are thinking about running away to live with your boyfriend and his family. You should know that it is not considered a criminal offence to run away from home. If your mother makes a runaway report with the police, then the police can take you into custody without a warrant and make you go home, because you are a minor, but you would not be charged with a crime. However, harboring a runaway can be a criminal offence. This means that by taking you in and hiding you, your boyfriend's family would be taking the risk by breaking the law, and they could be charged with a crime. However, the police often do not actively search for runaways. We are not legal experts, so we can only give you a general idea of how these things work. In general, in order to search a home, police must have either a search warrant or permission of the homeowner. Search warrants are not typically used to look for runaways, but they can be. It is impossible to say exactly what could happen.

It sounds like you have made up your mind to run away to be with your boyfriend. You mentioned that you "really can't get caught." We don't know the particulars of your situation, but if you run away you are taking certain risks. We don't tell anyone what to do, so it is up to you to decide if running away to be with your boyfriend is worth the potential consequences you could face. We are here to listen and support you in any way that we can, so if you have any questions or concerns please give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We can talk with you about what other resources and options you might have, and help you figure out a plan so you can stay safe. We are available 24/7, and all of our services are anonymous and confidential.

Best,

NRS