U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

Child Recovery

NCMEC played a role in the recovery of 5,985 children in 2000,

up 11.5 percent from 1999. Through the “Picture Them Home”

campaign, sightings reported to the hotline reached 14,516 in

2000, an increase of 48.1 percent from 1999. NCMEC has 1,977

private sector partners who distribute missing children photos.

Recently, ADVO, Inc. (one of the partners) celebrated its 100th

child recovery, and Wal-Mart (another partner) celebrated its 50th

recovery. Nearly 1,150 children have been recovered as a direct

result of NCMEC’s photo distribution system. As a new partner,

the Internal Revenue Service has distributed more than 750 million images through tax booklets and publications, resulting in the

recovery of 105 children. 

Age Progression and Forensic Imaging

Use of this advanced technology, whereby forensic artists use

sophisticated computer software to create age-progressed images

of long-term missing children, led to 45 recoveries. For fiscal year

2001, at the recommendation of Congress, NCMEC will provide

a case manager to help medical examiners identify the remains of

missing children using forensic imaging. 

International Cases

International child abduction cases increased to 1,697 in 2000, up

66.7 percent from 1999. Of those cases, NCMEC located and

returned 1,374 children, a 72.4-percent increase over 1999.

CyberTipline/CyberTipline II

Launched in 1998, CyberTipline (www.cybertipline.com) allows

online computer users to report information regarding the enticement of children for pornography, sex tourism, prostitution, molestation, and other sexual acts. To date, NCMEC’s CyberTipline

has received more than 38,000 reports of child pornography or

child exploitation that have been forwarded to the appropriate law

enforcement agencies. CyberTipline II, an enhanced CyberTipline,

is up and running as a result of the Internet Service Providers

(ISPs) Mandatory Reporting Law, 42 U.S.C. §13032(b)(1), which

The National Center for Missing and

Exploited Children

by Cathy Girouard

Since 1982, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has spearheaded the national effort to prevent

child abductions and return missing and exploited children to

their families. In partnership with the Office of Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), NCMEC continues to

enhance and expand its ability to offer critical intervention and

prevention services to families and support law enforcement

agencies at the Federal, State, and local levels in cases involving

missing or exploited children.

On October 12, 1999, exactly 15 years after the Missing Children’s Assistance Act of 1984 (MCAA) was signed, the Missing,

Exploited, and Runaway Children Protection Act, Public Law

106–71, was enacted, amending MCAA and directing OJJDP to

award an annual grant to NCMEC. The 1999 statute directs

NCMEC to operate a national 24-hour toll-free telephone hotline

for callers to report information on missing children and an official national resource center and information clearinghouse for

missing and exploited children. Under the law, NCMEC must

also coordinate public and private programs that locate and recover missing children and reunite them with their families; assist

families and law enforcement in locating and recovering missing

and exploited children; and provide training and technical assistance in the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and treatment

of cases involving missing and exploited children.

Recent Achievements

Over the years, NCMEC has continued to improve its services

and programs. Some of its accomplishments are described in the

following paragraphs.

Toll-Free Hotline 

Since 1984, NCMEC has received more than 1.5 million calls

from around the world. The 24-hour hotline (800–THE–LOST),

with 23 incoming lines, can handle phone calls in more than 140

languages. Once a call is received, photos and reports of missing

children can be forwarded immediately to appropriate law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, and State missing

children clearinghouses. 

July 2001 #28
PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/OJJDP

PERMIT NO. G–91

FS–200128 Fact Sheet

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

requires ISPs to report any apparent child pornography to

NCMEC. CyberTipline II can handle a much higher volume of

online traffic and accept information such as photographs, videos,

and other materials involving children that appear to be sexually

explicit. Law enforcement agencies can now view these materials

immediately upon receipt of a CyberTipline II report.

Newborns Abducted From Medical Settings 

NCMEC continues to provide healthcare professionals nationally

accredited training on infant security in medical settings. To date,

more than 52,592 personnel have completed training and more

than 803 hospitals have received onsite security assessments. 

Case Analysis and Support

NCMEC continues to provide high-level case analysis and assessment to families and law enforcement. Behavioral assessments of

perpetrators, used in conjunction with sightings of missing children; a geographic imaging system, used to plot and analyze locations of sightings; and access to Federal and private database

search tools (e.g., Database Technologies’ AutoTrack Plus and

ChoicePoint) support law enforcement investigations and help

verify reported leads and sightings. 

Training 

NCMEC provides law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and

other criminal justice professionals training in the investigation,

detection, and prosecution of child sexual exploitation and missing children cases. The Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training

Center, alone, has trained more than 1,512 police chiefs and sheriffs and more than 1,060 unit commanders through seminars for

chief executive officers and “Protecting Children Online” courses

for unit commanders.

New Resources for Families and Communities

NCMEC continues to distribute essential safety information to

children and families. NCMEC’s new publication, Know the

Rules . . . After School Safety for Children Who Are Home Alone,

offers safety tips, guidance, and a checklist for families in which

children must be left at home unaccompanied. 

For a complete list of NCMEC publications and other resource

materials, visit the NCMEC Web site at www.missingkids.com

and click on the “Library of Resources” page.

In February 2001, NCMEC launched a state-of-the-art Internet

safety initiative, the NetSmartz Workshop, to better protect children who regularly use the Internet. The NetSmartz Workshop is a

DVD–ROM that uses three-dimensional technology to create animated characters who provide interactive lessons to children. The

workshop will be tested in 50 Boys & Girls Clubs and, during the

next 5 years, NCMEC plans to release NetSmartz to Boys & Girls

Clubs nationwide.

For Further Information

For more information on NCMEC and its programs, initiatives,

and activities, please contact:

John Rabun, Jr., Chief Operating Officer, National Center for

Missing and Exploited Children, 699 Prince Street, Alexandria,VA 22314, 703–274–3900, www.missingkids.com; or

Cathy Girouard, Program Manager, Child Protection Division,

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 810

Seventh Street NW., Washington, DC 20531, 202–353–9244,

Girouard@ojp.usdoj.gov, www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org

Cathy Girouard is a Program Manager in OJJDP’s Child Protection

Division.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component 

of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice

Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice,

and the Office for Victims of Crime.

FS–200128