20th Precinct Combines Legwork and Technology to Locate Missing Tourist With Alzheimer’s

By Carol Tannenhauser

The first tweet was sent by the NYPD 20th Precinct at 2:11 p.m., Thursday.

We are asking for your help in locating this #Missing #Elderly Claude Tranvandon, M/Asian, Salt &Pepper hair, 5'4", wearing white shirt, beige pants & glasses. Last seen on West 72nd Street & Broadway. He suffers from Alzheimer’s #Manhattan #NYC #Queens #Bronx #Hospital #uws pic.twitter.com/d1Nj3O2kFk

— NYPD 20th Precinct (@NYPD20Pct) September 5, 2019

Before WSR even had a chance to post it, a second tweet arrived at 3:01 p.m., saying, “We found him! Kudos to Neighborhood Coordination Officers Bridget Fanning and Rob Vasquez for their great work.”

And then a third tweet appeared, which really didn’t require words, but Deputy Inspector Timothy J. Malin, commanding officer of the 20th precinct, took the opportunity to praise his officers again.

“This photo is proof that in policing, an act of heroism doesn’t just come in the form of a great arrest,” he wrote. “NYPD officers also keep people safe by being alert, kind, and driven by a desire to help those in need.”

The officers explained that Mr. Tranvandon was a tourist visiting from Paris. His granddaughter (above) said the family had been shopping and “turned around and he was gone.” They were “overjoyed” upon his return.

D.I. Malin—who writes most of the 20th Precinct’s Twitter feed—also hailed technology. “What really helped are the smart phones that NYPD gave all of the police officers,” he said. “The initial responding cops blasted out a photo of the gentleman to every other cop in the Precinct, approximately 150 uniformed members. In a heartbeat, we can distribute the photograph of a missing person or a wanted suspect to each and every one of them. It’s pretty cool—I never even imagined we would have this capability 10 years ago.”

Read another classic tweet from D.I. Malin here.