National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s® Mandate and Mission

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s® (NCMEC) mission is to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.

NCMEC:

• Serves as a clearinghouse of information about missing and exploited children.
  Operates a CyberTipline that the public may use to report Internet-related child sexual exploitation.
• Provides technical assistance to individuals and law-enforcement agencies in the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and treatment of cases involving missing and exploited children.
• Assists the U.S. Department of State in certain cases of international child abduction in accordance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
• Offers training programs to law-enforcement and social-service professionals.
  Distributes photographs and descriptions of missing children worldwide.
  Coordinates child-protection efforts with the private sector.
• Networks with nonprofit service providers and state clearinghouses about missing-persons cases.
• Provides information about effective state legislation to help ensure the protection of children.

Please visit their website to find out more http://www.missingkids.com/

The first three hours after a child's abduction are the most critical to recovery efforts. This statistic was the driving force behind the creation of the AMBER alerts program, an early response system that began in 1997 using radio as its primary delivery method. The program has helped reunite more than 260 children with their families.

Wireless AMBER Alerts are text messages that are sent out to subscribers as soon as local law enforcement releases an AMBER Alert. Important information about the child or any known information about the abductors or the vehicle are included.

Anyone capable of receiving text messages and whose wireless carrier is a participant in the program can sign up to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts. About 70% of Americans would be eligible and can sign up for the program at www.wirelessamberalerts.org. To view How Wireless AMBER Alerts™ are sent visit http://wirelessamberalerts.adcouncil.org/howwirelessamberalertswork.htm