Community Child Watch began in Michigan after the abduction, assault and murder of a 12 year-old Grand Rapids Schools child safety in February 1979.

The abductor was eventually caught and convicted, and is serving his sentence for the crimes.

During the investigation, the police found many people had actually seen the abductor and the car.  Some where unable to give an adequate description of either, and some felt any information they might have was not  enough to be useful.  The young girl's parents and the then newly formed crime prevention section of the Grand Rapids, Michigan police department started Community Child Watch.  Since then, the program has been adopted by communities across the state, and has been used as as a model for similar programs across the nation. 

Michigan Community Child Watch is 25 years old and continues to play a vital role in many communities.