National Missing Children's Day

  In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25
  as National Missing Children's Day. Each year, the
  Department of Justice (DOJ) commemorates Missing
  Children's Day with a ceremony honoring the heroic and
  exemplary efforts of agencies, organizations, and
  individuals to protect children.

  Missing Children’s Day is dedicated to encouraging
  parents, guardians, caregivers, and others concerned
  with the well-being of children to make child safety a
  priority. It serves as a reminder to continue our efforts
  to reunite missing children with their families and an
  occasion to honor those dedicated to this cause.

Information about missing children cases can be reported to
NCMEC's 24-hour hotline at 800-THE-LOST

In 2016, 647,435 reports of missing persons were entered into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Of those reports, 88,040 remained active missing person records as of December 31, 2016, and youth accounted for 38.3 percent of those active missing persons records.

In partnership with OJJDP, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) offers critical intervention and prevention services to families and supports law enforcement agencies in cases involving missing children.

When a child goes missing, authorities can deploy alerts on multiple platforms across multiple jurisdictions. In its 21st year and with support from OJJDP, the AMBER Alert system is now being used in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian country, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 22 other countries.

As of March 2018, 924 children have been successfully recovered because of the AMBER Alert system and 53 children have been rescued because of Wireless Emergency Alerts.

OJJDP engages numerous partners across the nonprofit, corporate, and technology sectors to bolster the AMBER Alert program, including NCMEC, federal law enforcement agencies, wireless carriers, Internet service providers, social media outlets, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America.

Visit the AMBER Alert Statistics page for additional data and reports showing the impact and reach of this program.

Help for Families
With support from OJJDP, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has produced Missing-Child, Emergency-Response, Quick-Reference Guide for Families, which provides a checklist of actions for families to take if a child goes missing.

Publications
Following are a sampling of topical resources developed by OJJDP:

• AMBER Alert: 21 Years of Progress in Recovering Abducted Children (February 2017)
• Child Victims of Stereotypical Kidnappings Known to Law Enforcement in 2011 (June 2016)
• Federal Resources on Missing and Exploited Children: A Directory for Law Enforcement and Other Public and Private Agencies, Sixth Edition (May 2011)
• National Estimates of Children Missing Involuntarily or for Benign Reasons (July 2005)
• National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART) Series (Various dates)
• What About Me? Coping With the Abduction of a Brother or Sister (May 2007) (Also available in Spanish)
• When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide (May 2010) (Also available in Spanish)
• You're Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment (May 2008) (Also available in Spanish)

See the Missing Children topical page for additional materials.

Additional Resources

AMBER Alert™
A voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry, the AMBER Alert™ Program is used to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child abduction cases.

Child ID App
Developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this free tool provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about children so that it is easily accessible if needed.

International Parental Child Abduction
This section of the U.S. Department of State website provides information and services to parents involved in cases of international child abductions.

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
NCMEC was established in 1984 to prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation, find missing children, and assist victims and their families. Additional resources from NCMEC include the following:

• Safety Central App serves as a digital child ID kit that allows parents to save information about, fingerprints for, and photographs of their children.
• Lost Child Alert Technology Resource (LOCATER) enhances law enforcement's ability to recover missing children by allowing for the rapid dissemination of images and information.

National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS): Missing Children Special Feature
This online resource presents publications, program, and related information focusing on missing children.

National Missing Children's Day
This section of the OJJDP website provides information about the activities surrounding the annual commemoration of May 25 as National Missing Children's Day.

National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
A program of the National Institute of Justice, NamUs is a national centralized repository and resource center for missing persons and unidentified decedent records.

Office for Victims of Crime (OVC): Missing Children
This section of the OVC website provides information about services and resources available to victims of child

The Glendale Family Advocacy Center
The goal of the Glendale Family Advocacy Center (GFAC) is to provide comprehensive and coordinated services to crime victims in a safe, comfortable and convenient setting. The “one-stop” center is a partnership between the Glendale Police Department, Crisis Preparation and Recovery, Department of Child Services, Honor Health and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Read More

Domestic - Family Violence Information and Resources
Domestic violence can take many forms, but its goal is always the same: Batterers want to control you through fear. They do this by regularly abusing you physically, sexually, psychologically and economically. For information on forms of domestic violence and behaviors that an abuser might display, as well as prevention and assistance resources, click here.

Protecting Our Children
How do you teach your children of the dangers within the community without scaring them? The most important thing a parent can do is teach their children to think and be prepared. The Glendale Family Advocacy Center has several programs targeted on keeping our children safe. Read More   

Victim Assistance
The mission of the Victim Assistance Unit within the Glendale Police Department is to provide comprehensive services to victims and their families who are affected by crime; to help them regain stability in their lives; and help them exert their rights as a crime victim. read more.

	The AZ Glendale VINE system is a service through which victims of crime can use the Internet to search for information regarding the custody status of their offender and to register to receive telephone and e-mail notification when the offender’s custody status changes. Visit the FREE online service now.
	Download and learn about the mobile app.

Medical Services
Medical professionals from Honor Health and The Child Protection Team are part of the team of law enforcement, prosecution, social service agencies and mental health clinicians working in collaboration to provide quality care and expert testimony to victims of physical and sexual abuse, neglect and child maltreatment.  Read More

Glendale Police Department
The mission of the Glendale Police Department is to protect the lives and property of the people we serve. We value Courage, Integrity, Excellence, Respect, Dedication and Compassion. To visit the Glendale Police Department website now, click here.

Volunteer
Are you interested in making your community a better place and making a positive impact? Victim assistance volunteers help crime victims in many ways: on-scene crisis intervention, criminal justice advocacy, court accompaniment and emotional support. If you are interested in lending a helping hand, read more.