Whenever someone goes missing, Toronto Police often turn to the public asking for them to keep an eye out for the absent person. That info is almost always broadcast by both radio and TV, as part of their regular newscasts, to help find the lost adult or child quickly.

But now, in a major change, city cops say they will no longer reveal a last name or even the gender of the person they're seeking. The idea is to protect the identity of the missing, so that when they're found, it won't follow them around forever on the Internet that this happened to them - although there will be exceptions to this new rule, especially if they don't have a picture to release.

Less than a day after announcing the new policy, cops have already put it into practice, with a press release about a missing boy - er, person.

These stories often make the news but it will be very odd to hear how newscasters skirt around the obvious when they're trying to communicate the info. "Toronto Police are looking for a missing boy," will now have to be said as "Toronto Police are looking for a missing person." Right away, they're cutting into the known info that might serve as a crucial clue.

To me, this sounds a bit self-defeating, since the point of the release is to help find the person, by providing as much information as possible. I get why you might withhold the surname but surely knowing the gender is crucial to helping strangers I.D. the person. If you don't know if you're looking for a man or a woman, that could certainly get in the way of telling the public who to watch out for. I know they've also cut back on releasing the race of the person, but that can also be key to knowing who to look for. 

This will affect what you see and hear in the media and I'm wondering if you think is overly politically correct and self-defeating or a wise and sensitive policy decision for modern times. For now, it only seems to apply to the Toronto force and not others in the GTA. 

Toronto Police Service Announces Changes to Public Information Released About Missing Persons