The Suffolk Police Department says it is renewing its commitment to finding missing persons with a new approach to cracking those cases.

Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison says officers will rely on the help of community ambassadors to quickly get the word out when a person goes missing, such as by handing out flyers in neighborhoods and public spaces.

“This is a renewed focus. These people have not been forgotten and nor will they be,” says Gail Bailey, a community ambassador.

Harrison says the county has 75 open missing persons cases going back five years. He says leaders in his department will have a renewed focus on these cases.

Harrison also says the department will improve their use of social media to aid their search for missing people.

“Every Monday, we’ll have a missing persons Monday where we’re going to be posting anybody who’s missing on our social media platforms,” he says.

Harrison says this is a personal topic for him, adding, “I’ve also had a situation where I had a family member go missing and the trauma that it brought my family.”

For more information on becoming a community ambassador, click here.