Data came from the National Incidence Study of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART) and included 104 cases involving 142 children. The analysis focused on the frequency of police involvement in family abductions, how abductions to which police respond differ from those to which they do not, the actions police take, how the aggrieved parents perceive these actions, and the effect of police intervention on episode outcomes. Results revealed that police were contacted in almost 40 percent of these cases. Results revealed that police actions varied considerably; police averaged three types of actions in dealing with each case. Overall, police responses were appropriate, although 62 percent of the parents reported being somewhat or very dissatisfied with police actions. In addition, police intervention appeared to have no significant effect on the duration of the abduction episodes. Furthermore, the data did not make clear whether police contact is independently associated with a greater risk of harm to the child or whether it is unrelated to the likelihood of harm. Further research is recommended. Tables, notes, and 18 references (Author abstract modified)