Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention
i

May 1997

Special Joint Report:

Federal Agency Task Force for

Missing and Exploited Children

Shay Bilchik, Administrator

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
ii

Federal Agency Task Force for Missing and Exploited Children

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

U.S. Department of Defense

Family Advocacy Program

Legal Assistance Offices

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education/

Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Family and Youth Services Bureau

National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect

U.S. Department of Justice

Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Office for Victims of Crime

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention/

Missing and Exploited Children’s Program

U.S. National Central Bureau (INTERPOL)

U.S. Department of State

Office of Children’s Issues

U.S. Department of the Treasury

U.S. Customs Service

U.S. Secret Service/Forensic Services Division

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Postal Inspection Service
iii

Foreword

Title IV of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, mandated that the

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) coordinate the Federal Government’s

response to missing children and their families. The Federal Agency Task Force for Missing and Exploited

Children, which is chaired by OJJDP, seeks to fulfill that responsibility by fostering communication and

collaboration.

We are proud to be a part of this coordinated effort to improve the national response to missing children and

their families. Certainly we have an obligation to those parents and families who are enduring one of life’s most

frightening and potentially tragic events to make it as easy as possible for them to find their way to all avenues

of assistance available through the Federal Government.

This report details the steps taken by the Task Force in 1996 to fulfill its basic purpose of coordination of services for missing children.We believe the actions described herein have improved delivery of Federal services

for missing and exploited children and their families and helped them as they deal with their personal tragedy.

Shay Bilchik

Administrator

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

U.S. Department of Justice
v

Foreword .............................................................................................................................................................. iii

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 1

Overview ................................................................................................................................................................ 3

Accomplishments .............................................................................................................................................. 5

Publication of a Resource Manual ................................................................................................................. 5

International Abduction Cases....................................................................................................................... 5

Child Pornography Tipline............................................................................................................................. 6

Exploited Child Unit....................................................................................................................................... 6

World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children .................................................. 6

Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Center ........................................................................................ 6

Morgan P. Hardiman Task Force ................................................................................................................... 7

Child Sexual Exploitation: Improving Investigations and Protecting Victims ........................................ 7

INTERPOL Working Party on Offenses Against Minors ......................................................................... 7

Summary........................................................................................................................................................... 8

Profiles of Task Force Member Agencies................................................................................................. 9

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ................................................................................ 9

U.S. Department of Defense, Family Advocacy Program and Legal Assistance Offices .................... 10

Family Advocacy Program ...................................................................................................................... 10

Legal Assistance Offices .......................................................................................................................... 10

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education/Safe and

 Drug-Free Schools Program ..................................................................................................................... 10

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Family and Youth Services Bureau....................... 12

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect...... 12

U.S. Department of Justice, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section............................................... 14

U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation ................................................................ 14

U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime........................................................................ 16

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention ....................... 17

U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. National Central Bureau (INTERPOL).......................................... 18

Table of Contents
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U.S. Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues ............................................................................. 19

International Abduction ........................................................................................................................... 19

International Adoption ............................................................................................................................. 20

U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Customs Service......................................................................... 20

U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Secret Service/Forensic Services Division ............................. 21

U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service ................................................................................. 22

Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................... 25
1

Introduction

The Federal Agency Task Force on Missing and

Exploited Children serves as an advocate for children and their families, coordinates Federal resources and services for missing and exploited

children and their families, and fosters increased

cooperation and communication among Federal

agencies. The Task Force includes representatives

from the Departments of Defense, Education,

Health and Human Services, Justice, State, and

Treasury; the U.S. Postal Service; and the National

Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Since its inception in May 1995, the Task Force has

worked to improve the Federal response to missing

and exploited children and their families. In just a

short time, the Task Force has made tremendous

strides in coordinating and enhancing services and

resources for children, families, and the agencies

that serve them. The Task Force has increased

awareness of and access to Federal services and

resources through the development and distribution

of manuals and publications; improved understanding and awareness of issues associated with missing

and exploited children by participating in and conducting national conferences and work sessions; and

examined and addressed legal issues and issues relating to international child abuse and abduction

through ongoing discussions and actions.

This joint report provides a summary of the many

Task Force activities and accomplishments in 1996.

It describes both the individual and collective efforts

and activities of Task Force agencies, and it demonstrates how these efforts have formed a comprehensive, coordinated approach for improving services

and resources for missing and exploited children and

their families. In addition, the report looks at the

steps that have been taken to better protect and

support missing and exploited children and their

families. The report concludes with profiles of each

of the member agencies. These profiles include descriptions of some of the planned activities geared

toward further enhancing services for missing and

exploited children, their families, and the agencies

that serve them.
3

Overview

The Federal Agency Task Force for Missing and

Exploited Children is composed of 1 private, nonprofit organization and 14 Federal agencies (components of 6 Departments and the U.S. Postal

Service). These entities all have direct involvement

or a vested interest in cases involving missing and

exploited children and their families. The member

agencies are listed below:

◆ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

◆ The Family Advocacy Program and the Legal

Assistance Offices (U.S. Department of Defense).

◆ The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education/Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program (U.S.

Department of Education).

◆ The Family and Youth Services Bureau and the

National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect

(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

◆ The Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section,

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention/Missing and Exploited

Children’s Program, and U.S. National Central

Bureau /INTERPOL (U.S. Department of Justice).

◆ Office of Children’s Issues (U.S. Department of

State).

◆ U.S. Customs Service and U.S. Secret Service/

Forensic Services Division (U.S. Department of

the Treasury).

◆ U.S. Postal Inspection Service (U.S. Postal Service).

Creation of the Task Force was announced by U.S.

Attorney General Janet Reno on May 25, 1995, at

the 12th Annual Missing Children’s Day ceremony.

In her remarks, Attorney General Reno stated that

the purpose of the Task Force was to “. . . coordinate

services for missing children and determine gaps or

overlaps in related Federal activity.” The Task Force

was established to coordinate Federal delivery of

services for missing and exploited children and their

families. It complements the investigative work of

the Morgan P. Hardiman Task Force, which was

authorized through the Violent Crime Control and

Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to help State and

local authorities investigate the most difficult cases

involving missing and exploited children.

The goals of the Task Force are to:

◆ Identify Federal resources that are available to

aid and support missing and exploited children

and their families.

◆ Identify the needs of missing, abducted, and exploited children.

◆ Identify agency needs regarding missing, abducted, and exploited children, including those

relating to coordination, service delivery, resources, and concerns.

◆ Identify needs and gaps in service, and develop

appropriate responses to address service gaps.

◆ Develop strategies and procedures for communicating with the public, and develop a strategy and

plan for disseminating information.

◆ Identify and develop products to further aid and

support agencies and organizations involved in

missing and exploited children’s issues.

◆ Develop and disseminate information about the

mission, goals, and activities of the Task Force

and its member agencies.
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◆ Advocate for and facilitate change and improvements.

◆ Establish a communications network among agencies.

Since May 1995, the Task Force has met quarterly to

achieve these goals and enhance and improve access

to and services for missing and exploited children.

Quarterly meetings provide an effective forum for

ongoing communication among Federal agencies.

These meetings also provide an important vehicle

for identifying system needs and enhancements;

planning collaborative activities to address these

needs; and developing strategies to improve Federal

response, coordination, and resources for missing

and exploited children, their families, and agencies

that serve them.
5

Accomplishments

Task Force members completed a number of major

accomplishments and launched several collaborative

efforts during this past year to address their goals.

Some of these efforts represent the combined participation of all Task Force members, while others

involve selected member agencies. Some of the most

significant achievements and cooperative efforts are

described below.

Publication of a Resource Manual

In May 1996, the Task Force published Federal Resources on Missing and Exploited Children: A Guide for

Law Enforcement and Other Public and Private Agencies.

This is a resource manual that describes the many

investigative resources, publications, training and

technical assistance opportunities, and services

available to law enforcement and other public and

private agencies that serve missing and exploited

children and their families. The first publication of

its kind, the resource manual contains extensive

information about services available from each Task

Force member agency. It also provides the reader

with quick and easy access to the resources that are

available during the investigation of missing and

exploited children cases. The manual provides practical tools for practitioners in the areas of child

sexual exploitation, child pornography, child abductions, and missing children cases. Thus far, more

than 15,000 copies of the manual have been distributed nationwide to law enforcement and child-serving

professionals. A limited number of copies of the

resource manual are available from the Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s

(OJJDP’s) Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, P.O.

Box 6000, Rockville, MD, 20849–6000, 800–638–

8736. The manual is also available online through

OJJDP’s home page at http://www.ncjrs.org/

pdffiles/fedredir.pdf.

International Abduction Cases

In 1995, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) formally created its

International Division to assist parents whose

children are victims of international abduction.

Through a cooperative agreement with the U.S.

Department of State and the Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention, NCMEC also

formally agreed to handle all incoming Hague Convention cases—those cases involving foreign children

abducted from countries that are signatories to the

Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (hereafter referred to as the

Hague Abduction Convention). Under the agreement, NCMEC handles the U.S. Department of

State’s responsibilities for incoming Hague Abduction Convention cases, locates abducted children in

the United States, and facilitates legal representation to

ensure that the Hague Application is filed in a U.S.

court. NCMEC has handled approximately 320 Hague

cases from 43 countries, resulting in the return of nearly

150 children to their country of habitual residence.

In 1996, NCMEC, the U.S. Department of State

Office of Children’s Issues, Office for Victims of

Crime, and OJJDP renewed this cooperative interagency agreement. Through this collaborative effort,

these agencies are continuing to work together to

resolve international parental abduction cases by

providing an array of services to the parent in the

effort to recover the abducted child, including:

◆ Legal technical assistance to help explain the

Hague Abduction Convention procedures.

◆ Law enforcement liaison and international contacts through INTERPOL and other foreign law

enforcement agencies and missing children nonprofit organizations.
6

◆ Assistance of volunteers who will help translate

foreign language correspondence and conversations.

◆ Access to age progression technology for longterm cases.

◆ Poster dissemination in target countries to assist

in the location process.

◆ Technical assistance, educational materials, and

other resources to help the family through this

difficult time.

Child Pornography Tipline

Through an interagency agreement with NCMEC,

the U.S. Customs Service’s Child Pornography Enforcement Program has initiated a collaborative effort

to handle child pornography-related complaints.

NCMEC has established a toll-free child pornography tipline (800–THE–LOST, or 800–843–5678)

for the reporting of information regarding child pornography. NCMEC refers such data directly to the

Child Pornography Enforcement Program, the U.S.

Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and

Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Federal Bureau of

Investigation (FBI), and the U.S. Postal Inspection

Service for dissemination. As part of this effort,

NCMEC will be developing public service announcements and new brochures regarding child

pornography information.

Exploited Child Unit

NCMEC announced the creation of a new Exploited Child Unit to combat child molestation, pornography, and prostitution and raise awareness

about the problem of pedophilia. The Exploited

Child Unit seeks to:

◆ Generate leads in cases of child exploitation and

expeditiously forward them to the appropriate

Federal, State, or local law enforcement agencies.

◆ Provide technical assistance in cases of child exploitation to State and local law enforcement.

◆ Develop technological tools to assist law enforcement in the investigation of these cases.

◆ Increase awareness of the problem of child sexual

exploitation among law enforcement and the general public.

◆ Market aggressively the Child Pornography

Tipline, which NCMEC operates in conjunction

with the U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and FBI.

Funding for the Exploited Child Unit was provided

by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Additional

partners in this effort include the U.S. Department

of Justice (CEOS and FBI) and the U.S. Postal

Service.

World Congress Against Commercial

Sexual Exploitation of Children

Several Task Force members joined the U.S. delegation

in attending the World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Stockholm,

Sweden, in August 1996. Task Force member agencies represented included the U.S. Department of

Defense, U.S. Department of State, CEOS, FBI,

U.S. Customs Service, and U.S. Postal Inspection

Service. In this first meeting of its kind, the U.S.

delegation actively participated with representatives

from more than 120 countries, meeting with concerned governmental officials and nongovernmental

organizations to discuss international and domestic

child sexual exploitation issues, including the development of effective strategies to address crimes

against children on an international scale. Following

the World Congress meeting, the U.S. delegation,

led by Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson,

Office of Justice Programs, formed a working

group to continue the important interagency dialog

that is needed to address child sexual exploitation

issues both internationally and domestically.

Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement

Training Center

NCMEC, OJJDP, and two FBI entities (the Child

Abduction and Serial Killer Unit (CASKU) and the

Criminal Justice Information Services Division)

have been working together to establish and implement the Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training
7

Center, housed at NCMEC. Authorized by the

Omnibus Appropriations Act of 1996 and named for

a 9-year-old Florida boy abducted and murdered in

1995, this training and technical assistance program

is designed to enhance the investigative response to

missing children’s cases. The Training Center, which

began operation in April 1997, will provide training

to senior-level law enforcement officers who investigate missing and exploited children cases. Courses

being offered include the following:

◆ Two-day, intensive seminars for law enforcement

executives at NCMEC that highlight the most

current research and practices related to missing

children issues.

◆ Five-day training, offered regionally, that emphasizes investigative issues for Federal, State, and

local law enforcement representatives working on

missing children cases.

◆ Training at NCMEC by the FBI Criminal Justice

Information Services Division for each State control terminal officer on the new National Crime

Information Center flagging system that immediately alerts NCMEC and CASKU to cases where

it is believed that a child is missing under lifethreatening circumstances.

In addition to training and technical assistance, the

program also promotes awareness of existing FBI

and other Federal resources available to assist law

enforcement agencies investigating missing and exploited children cases.

Morgan P. Hardiman Task Force

The Morgan P. Hardiman Task Force was created

with the passage of the 1994 Violent Crime Control

and Law Enforcement Act. The Hardiman Task

Force was established to provide Federal law enforcement expertise and resources to State and local

governments when they are handling the most difficult cases involving missing and exploited children

nationwide. The Task Force, which the FBI supervises and oversees, is collocated with CASKU in

Quantico, Virginia. The CASKU unit chief serves as

chief of the Task Force, and the CEOS chief serves

as the legal advisor. In this role, CEOS has provided

training and legal assistance to the Task Force since

1995. Task Force members include two specially

trained investigators from each of seven Federal

agencies: the U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug

Enforcement Administration, FBI, and U.S. Marshals Service; the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S.

Customs Service, and U.S. Secret Service; and the

U.S. Postal Inspection Service. In addition, the

Hardiman Task Force closely coordinates its activities with NCMEC.

Child Sexual Exploitation:

Improving Investigations and

Protecting Victims

The Office for Victims of Crimes, in conjunction

with OJJDP, provided funds to support the development and publication of Child Sexual Exploitation:

Improving Investigations and Protecting Victims. This

publication, which was prepared by the Education

Development Center, Inc., presents guidelines for

Federal, State, and local agencies (including victim

assistance providers, both public and private) involved in the investigation and prosecution of pornography or prostitution cases. Child sexual

exploitation cases raise unique issues that are not

anticipated in existing child sexual abuse protocols.

These cases tend to feature concurrent Federal and

State jurisdiction, and many involve a particularly

challenging group of victims. The guidelines focus

on issues that apply to all child sexual exploitation

cases: role clarification, notification of relevant agencies, and referrals for victims. The document also

contains a list of resources for training and technical

assistance. The report is available online at http://

www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles/exploit.txt or through the

National Criminal Justice Reference Services Justice Information Center at http://www.ncjrs.org.

INTERPOL Working Party on

Offenses Against Minors

Several Task Force members participate in

INTERPOL’s standing Working Party on Offenses

Against Children, which is an international group of

investigators that meets semiannually to discuss and

share information about international and domestic
8

child sexual exploitation issues. The United States

and several other nations have enacted extraterritorial

laws addressing commercialized prostitution/sexual

exploitation of children, and this international law

enforcement group has become an effective means of

sharing information regarding those types of investigations and other child sexual exploitation cases.

The CEOS, FBI, U.S. Customs Service, and U.S.

Postal Inspection Service participate in this

Working Party.

Summary

The accomplishments described here constitute a

noteworthy beginning for the Task Force. The high

level of cooperation among the 15 participants, in

spite of the differences in agency missions, mandates, and priorities, allowed the Task Force to

make significant progress toward improved delivery

of Federal services for missing and exploited children and their families.
9

Profiles of Task Force Member Agencies

In addition to the nine specific accomplishments

already listed, each individual agency is working to

improve the services available for missing and exploited children and their families. The profiles

below briefly describe the member agencies and

some of the activities they plan to implement. The

name of a person to contact for additional information is provided at the end of each profile.

National Center for Missing and

Exploited Children

The mission of the National Center for Missing and

Exploited Children (NCMEC) is to assist in the

location and recovery of missing children and to

prevent the abduction, molestation, sexual exploitation, and victimization of children. A private, nonprofit organization established in 1984, NCMEC

operates under a congressional mandate in a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of

Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). NCMEC coordinates

the efforts of law enforcement personnel, social service

agency staff, elected officials, judges, prosecutors,

educators, and members of the public and private

sectors to break the cycle of violence that historically

has perpetuated crimes against children.

Since it began in September 1984, NCMEC has

played a role in the recovery of more than 34,000

missing children; worked on nearly 54,000 cases

involving missing and sexually exploited children;

handled more than 1 million telephone calls through

the international, toll-free hotline; circulated millions

of photographs of missing children; trained 140,000

law enforcement, criminal/juvenile justice, and

healthcare professionals in the United States,

Canada, and the United Kingdom; and printed 13

million copies of publications on various aspects of

the issue. Through December 1996, 468 children

have been recovered through NCMEC’s photo distribution program (1 out of every 7 children who are

featured). In this past year alone, approximately

7,400 volunteer hours were donated at NCMEC

headquarters.

Since 1984, NCMEC has worked with lawmakers

nationwide to help enact legislation to better safeguard children. One of the earliest efforts was to

implement a missing children’s clearinghouse in every State. In 1984, only 2 States had clearinghouses;

by 1996, 48 States and the District of Columbia had

State clearinghouses.

During this past year, NCMEC provided assistance

and expert advice to Belgium regarding the recent

child abduction and murder cases. NCMEC assisted

with age progression and distribution, and placed

photographs of the alleged perpetrators on the

NCMEC World Wide Web site. Belgium is looking

to NCMEC to assist in the development of a European Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

In 1996, in addition to the Exploited Child Unit and

the Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Center

(both discussed under Accomplishments), NCMEC—

working with OJJDP—instituted the first Officer

of the Year Award. In a ceremony at the U.S. Department of Justice, Attorney General Janet Reno

presented the award to Sergeant Sheila Jenkins of

Pascagoula, Mississippi.

In the coming year, NCMEC plans to expand its

International Division to:

♦ Broaden the network of international law enforcement agencies willing to communicate and
10

cooperate in the search for missing and abducted

children.

♦ Provide assistance to the European Center for

Missing and Exploited Children.

♦ Increase the number of signatories to the Hague

Convention on the Civil Aspects of International

Child Abduction.

♦ Increase the awareness and preparedness of judicial and legal organizations to address the complex issues of international Child abduction.

♦ Implement the NCMEC International Division

World Wide Web page.

♦ Create and produce publications regarding the

prevention of international abduction of children

by parents.

Finally, NCMEC plans to enhance and expand

Project ALERT, which uses retired law enforcement

officials as volunteers to assist in the investigation of

missing child cases.

For additional information about NCMEC, contact:

Mr. John Rabun or Ms. Margie Kazdin

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

2101 Arlington Boulevard, Suite 550

Arlington, VA 22201

703–235–3900

U.S. Department of Defense,

Family Advocacy Program and

Legal Assistance Offices

Family Advocacy Program

The Family Advocacy Program of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is designed to prevent and

treat child and spouse abuse in accordance with

DOD Directive 6400.1, Family Advocacy Program.

Each Service maintains a central registry of reports

of alleged child and spouse abuse. Allegations of

child sexual abuse that occur in out-of-home care

settings, such as in childcare centers, family daycare

homes, schools, or recreation programs, must be

reported within 72 hours to the Service’s Family

Advocacy Program for inclusion in the central registry

and to the DOD assistant secretary (Force Management Policy) or to his or her designee.

Legal Assistance Offices

The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps legal

assistance offices serve as the point of contact for

inquiries concerning the legal issues in the abduction

of a child by a parent or other family member either

on active duty with that Armed Service or accompanying such a Service member. The legal assistance

offices are also the point of contact for the U.S. Department of State in cases of international abduction

of the children of Service members.

For additional information about the Family Advocacy Program, contact:

Mr. David Lloyd

U.S. Department of Defense

Family Advocacy Program

Ballston Center, Tower 3, Suite 903

4015 Wilson Boulevard

Arlington, VA 22203–5190

703–696–1702

U.S. Department of Education,

Office of Elementary and

Secondary Education/Safe and

Drug-Free Schools Program

The Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program

(SDFSP) supports initiatives to meet the seventh

National Education Goal, which provides that by

the year 2000 all schools will be free of drugs, violence, and the unauthorized presence of firearms

and alcohol and will offer a disciplined environment

that is conducive to learning. These initiatives are

designed to prevent violence in and around schools

and to strengthen programs that prevent the illegal

use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs; that involve parents; and that are coordinated with related Federal,

State, and community efforts and resources.

Programs and activities supported by SDFSP focus

on prevention. State formula grants support

efforts by local educational agencies (LEA’s) and
11

community-based organizations to develop and

implement programs to prevent drug use and violence among youth. Grants also are awarded to public and private nonprofit organizations to develop

and implement comprehensive drug and violence

prevention strategies for school and communities,

conduct training and evaluation, and develop and

disseminate drug and violence prevention materials.

In fiscal year (FY) 1996, SDFSP awarded 28 discretionary grants for drug and violence prevention

programs to schools and communities across the

Nation. These awards support projects that will

infuse research-based knowledge about “what

works” into the design, development, and implementation of school-based strategies to prevent drug use

among youth; prevent truancy and address the

needs of youth who are out of the education mainstream; remove firearms and other weapons from

schools; and prevent violent, aggressive, intimidating,

or other disruptive behavior arising from bullying,

sexual harassment, or other causes. Three-quarters of

the grantees are located in Empowerment Zones or

Enterprise Communities.

SDFSP produced and/or disseminated a number of

publications and prevention materials to increase

awareness and knowledge about anti-drug and antiviolence programs and activities, including the development and distribution of Creating Safe and

Drug-Free Schools: An Action Guide, in partnership

with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice.

In collaboration with OJJDP, SDFSP implemented

an initiative to provide training and technical assistance to educators and others to address the needs of

youth who are out of the education mainstream by

reason of suspension or expulsion, truancy, dropping out, involvement in the juvenile justice system,

or fear of attending school because of an atmosphere

of violence. In addition, SDFSP collaborated with

OJJDP to develop a guide to selecting and implementing conflict resolution programs in schools.

SDFSP also entered into a joint funding agreement

with the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau in the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

for two grants to institutions of higher education to train

school personnel and others in classroom-based

techniques of violence prevention for children and

adolescents.

FY 1997 SDFSP activities will focus on two priorities:

(1) Developing and using more effective drug and

violence prevention strategies and programs.

(2) Changing the attitudes of students and parents

regarding drug use, especially the use of marijuana.

To achieve these priorities, SDFSP will revise and

distribute A Parents Guide to Prevention; make information about the harmful effects of drug use available to

schools, community groups, parents, and students;

provide constituents with information on effective

drug and violence prevention strategies and programs;

and focus information collection and dissemination

efforts on model programs and effective prevention

strategies.

SDFSP will work with the Secretaries of HHS,

HUD, and Treasury; the Attorney General; and the

Director of the Office of National Drug Control

Policy to develop a media strategy to counter favorable messages about drugs and provide accurate information about harmful effects.

Finally, SDFSP will develop a demonstration program that uses existing research on what works to

provide teachers and administrators with relevant

information on developing and implementing effective

programs. SDFSP will also help States and LEA’s

collect better data on drug use and the incidents of

violence in order to improve their programs.

For additional information about the Safe and

Drug-Free Schools Program, contact:

Ms. Gail Beaumont

U.S. Department of Education

Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program

600 Independence Avenue SW., Room 604

Washington, DC 20202–6123

202–260–3954
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U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, Family and Youth

Services Bureau

The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB)

provides national leadership on youth issues and

assists individuals and organizations in providing

effective, comprehensive services for youth in at-risk

situations and their families. Primary goals of FYSB

programs are to provide positive alternatives for

youth, ensure their safety, and maximize their potential to take advantage of available opportunities.

These goals are accomplished through several comprehensive FYSB programs, which will continue

during the next year.

The Basic Center Program provides discretionary

grants to agencies that provide intervention services

to runaway and homeless youth outside the traditional juvenile justice and law enforcement systems.

The goal of the program is to reunite youth with

their families whenever possible or to arrange for

other suitable placements. In FY 1996, FYSB provided funds to more than 375 Basic Center projects.

More than three-quarters of the Basic Centers are

operated by community-based organizations ranging

from free-standing, single-purpose emergency shelter programs to multipurpose youth service agencies. Basic Center services include outreach,

counseling, service linkages, and aftercare services.

The Transitional Living Program for Homeless Youth

(TLP) helps homeless youth between the ages of 16

and 21 make a successful transition to self-sufficient

living and avoid long-term dependency on social services. Local agencies receive funding to provide comprehensive services to these youth in a supervised

living arrangement for up to 18 months. In FY

1997, FYSB funded 75 TLP projects for a 3-year

period. Most local agencies that operate TLP projects

are multipurpose youth-serving agencies. More than

half of the agencies receiving TLP funds also receive funding from FYSB to operate temporary

shelter and counseling services for runaway and homeless youth.

The Street Outreach Program was established

through the Violence Against Women Act of the

Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of

1994 to provide grants for the prevention of sexual

abuse and exploitation of runaway and homeless

youth and information and referral services to runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been

subjected to or are at risk of sexual abuse. In July

1996, 59 supplemental grants were awarded to

FYSB Basic Center and TLP grantees to provide

street outreach services. The primary focus of these

grant projects is on establishing and building

relationships between the staff of local youth service

organizations and street youth, with the goal of helping young people leave the streets. Local grantee

programs provide a wide range of services that, either directly or through collaboration with other

agencies, protect and treat young people who have

been or are at risk of sexual abuse or exploitation.

These services include street-based education and

outreach, emergency shelter, survival aid, individual

assessment, treatment and counseling, prevention

and education activities, information and referral,

crisis intervention, and followup support.

The National Runaway Switchboard operates a tollfree, 24-hour hotline for youth and their families.

The hotline provides support, information, and assistance while maintaining confidentiality and client

safety. During this past year, the hotline handled

approximately 160,000 calls.

For additional information about the Family and

Youth Services Bureau, contact:

Mr. Curtis Porter

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Family and Youth Services Bureau

P.O. Box 1182

Washington, DC 20013

202–205–8034

U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, National Center

on Child Abuse and Neglect

The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect

(NCCAN) was established by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974 (P.L. 93–247)
13

within the Administration on Children, Youth and

Families. NCCAN’s responsibilities include:

♦ Assisting States to meet their responsibilities for

the prevention of and intervention in cases of

child abuse and neglect by providing funds and

technical assistance.

♦ Generating knowledge by funding research, service improvement programs, and demonstration

projects.

♦ Generating knowledge through the ongoing collection of data about the scope and nature of the

problem, its consequences, and the effectiveness

of prevention and treatment programs.

♦ Facilitating information dissemination and exchanges.

♦ Supporting the education of professionals in the

field and policy development.

♦ Coordinating the Federal Government’s activities

in this field.

In FY 1996, NCCAN awarded to States a total of

$21 million in Basic State Grants, $8.5 million in

Children’s Justice Act Grants, and $23 million in

Community-Based Family Resource Program

Grants. Also in FY 1996, a total of $14.154 million

was expended to support research and demonstration grants and other discretionary activities.

NCCAN funds, on an ongoing basis, the Child

Abuse and Neglect Clearinghouse, which collects,

organizes, and disseminates information on all aspects of child maltreatment including prevention,

identification and investigation, treatment, research,

training, and education. In FY 1996, NCCAN also

funded the National Resource Center on Child Maltreatment to assist States, local agencies, and tribes

in developing effective and efficient child protective

services organization systems.

In September 1996, NCCAN released the data from

the National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and

Neglect (NIS–3). Previous NIS studies had been

released in 1981 and 1988. The NIS–3 report indicates that the number of abused and neglected children more than doubled since the last report was

issued—from 1.4 million in 1986 to 2.9 million in

1993. During the same period, the number of children who were seriously injured quadrupled from

about 143,000 to more than 572,000.

These estimates are almost three times higher than

the number of cases reported, investigated, and confirmed by the States. Child Maltreatment 1994: Reports

from the States to the National Center on Child Abuse and

Neglect, also published by NCCAN in 1996, counted

just over 1 million victims of child abuse and neglect

in 1993, based on the number of cases investigated

by Child Protective Services. That report showed

the number of substantiated cases had grown by

more than 38 percent between 1986 and 1993.

On October 3, 1996, the President signed into law

the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act

Amendments of 1996, a bill that extended for 5

years (through FY 2001) the authority for the Child

Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. The legislation extends the authority for three State grants: the

Basic State Grant program, which focuses on improving child protective services; a prevention-focused

State grant program, now called the CommunityBased Family Resource and Support Grants Program;

and the Children’s Justice Act grant program, which

focuses on reform of the systems for the investigation,

prosecution, and handling of child sexual abuse;

child maltreatment facilities; and other forms of

child abuse and neglect.

The law also extends the authority for Federal leadership activities in the field of child abuse and neglect, including training and technical assistance,

research, evaluation and demonstration grants, data

collection, and information dissemination activities.

For additional information about the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, contact:

Ms. Emily Cooke

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect

Mary Switzer Building

330 C Street SW., Room 2106B

P.O. Box 1182

Washington, DC 20201

202–205–8709
14

U.S. Department of Justice, Child

Exploitation and Obscenity

Section

Established in 1987 and expanded in 1994, the Child

Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) is

composed of attorneys who have expertise in the

areas of obscenity, child exploitation, child abuse,

international child abduction, and victim-witness

issues. CEOS attorneys work with Federal law

enforcement agencies and U.S. attorneys’ offices

around the country on enforcement of Federal laws

in these areas. Although CEOS will assist State

and local law enforcement agencies upon request,

CEOS jurisdiction is limited to enforcement of

Federal statutes.

In 1997, CEOS will continue to interface with and

participate in domestic and international programs

concerning the commercial sexual exploitation of

children. CEOS will work with other agencies and

nongovernmental organizations on the trafficking of

youth for the purposes of child pornography and

prostitution.

For additional information about the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, contact:

Mr. Terry Lord or Ms. Judy Schretter

U.S. Department of Justice

Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

1331 F Street NW., Sixth Floor

Washington, DC 20530

202–514–5780

U.S. Department of Justice,

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is authorized under Federal law to conduct certain investigations involving the sexual exploitation of children

and violations of the Federal Kidnaping Statute.

Many of those investigations are coordinated with

local, State, and other Federal agencies. All 56 FBI

field offices throughout the United States and FBI

legal attache offices in foreign countries aggressively

pursue the investigation of crimes against children

that are within the FBI’s statutory jurisdictions.

During this past year, FBI special agents nationwide

conducted numerous complex and highly sensitive

child sexual exploitation and child abduction/kidnaping investigations, often joining with local, State,

and other Federal law enforcement agencies to resolve these cases. FBI agents in the field, supported

by various operational, forensic, and administrative

resources at the FBI academy and FBI headquarters

(FBIHQ) routinely support local law enforcement

agencies when a suspected child abduction/kidnaping is reported. The Criminal Investigative Division,

FBIHQ, has directed FBI field offices to respond

immediately to reported child abductions/kidnapings

to provide investigative, behavioral science, forensic,

and other support to local law enforcement agencies.

FBI involvement at an early stage of the investigation is appropriate in the event it is determined that

a violation of the Federal Kidnaping Statute has

occurred and Federal prosecution is warranted. FBI

agents routinely investigate child abuse on Federal

lands, computer pornography, interstate transportation of child pornography, interstate transportation of children for sexual activity, interstate

commercialized child prostitution, and various

other child sexual exploitation violations within

the FBI’s jurisdiction.

The FBI recently established the new Office of

Crimes Against Children (OCAC) within the Special Investigations and Initiatives Unit (SIIU) at

FBIHQ. As an entity within the Violent Crime and

Major Offenders Section (VCMOS), Criminal Investigative Division (CID), the new OCAC is

staffed by Supervisory Special Agents and support

professionals who will specifically address childvictimization offenses within the FBI’s jurisdiction.

All such offenses, including child abduction/kidnaping, sexual exploitation of children (child pornography, child prostitution, and others), international

parental kidnaping, physical and sexual abuse of

children on government lands, interstate parental

kidnaping cases referred by local authorities which

then result in FBI fugitive investigations, and violations of the Child Support Recovery Act (CSRA),

will now be operationally and administratively addressed by the OCAC. The FBI’s national investigative program involving child pornography

transmitted via computer online services and the

Internet is also being managed by the OCAC.
15

Establishment of the OCAC is an important step

toward ensuring that the FBI will continue to dedicate appropriate resources to the investigation of

crimes against children.

The following case illustrates the nature of many of

the complex and fast-breaking child abduction/kidnaping and child sexual exploitation investigations.

The case began when two brothers, ages 3 and 11,

were abducted from a store in Michigan by a convicted child molester. A massive interstate investigation resulted in the safe recovery of the children and

the arrest of the kidnaper by agents assigned to the

New Orleans FBI field office. The Detroit FBI case

agent was presented with an award recognizing his

outstanding performance at the National Missing

Children’s Day ceremony on May 25, 1996. That

award was one of only four awards presented by the

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

(NCMEC) to Federal, State, and local officers for

their exceptional contributions to a missing or exploited children investigation.

A second case serves to illustrate the positive results

that are achieved through an effective partnership

between local, State, and Federal agencies. On

January 28, 1997, a 12-year-old boy was reported

missing to the Omaha Police Department (OPD),

Omaha, Nebraska. He was believed to have been

abducted by a family acquaintance, a 28-year-old

male later determined to have been previously convicted for child abuse. The Omaha FBI field office

immediately joined the investigation with the OPD,

and teams of police officers and agents conducted

more than 200 interviews in an effort to locate and

recover the missing child. The investigation extended to several States, and was assisted by

NCMEC, which distributed posters through an

emergency facsimile broadcast. An “America’s Most

Wanted” broadcast in February generated leads that

were aggressively pursued by OPD detectives and

FBI agents. The joint investigation eventually led to

a telephone call that was traced to a small motel in

South Carolina. Omaha police and FBI agents immediately notified the FBI field office in Columbia,

South Carolina, where those agents again joined

with local police in order to successfully lure the

abductor from the motel room and rescue the child on

the morning of February 22, 1997. In connection with

National Missing Children’s Day, May 25, 1997, an

Omaha police lieutenant and an Omaha FBI agent

were recognized for their outstanding cooperative

effort leading to the successful resolution of this

investigation.

The FBI has also established other specialized operational resources to address child abduction/kidnaping and child sexual exploitation investigations,

such as the Child Abduction and Serial Killer Unit

(CASKU) in Quantico, Virginia, which figured

prominently in the solution of the aforementioned

cases. CASKU directly supports FBI field office

investigations and those of State and local agencies

by providing profiles of unknown offenders, crime

analysis, interview and interrogation strategies, investigative strategies, behavioral assessments, trial

preparation and prosecutive strategy, expert testimony,

and coordination with various other evidentiary and

forensic resources within the FBI. Specially trained

and experienced CASKU supervisory personnel

often travel throughout the United States to assist

FBI agents and local police immediately upon learning that a child abduction/kidnaping investigation

has been initiated. CASKU personnel also routinely

provide advice and support to international law enforcement authorities who have requested the FBI’s

specialized assistance. As a case in point, CASKU

supervisors traveled to Belgium in 1996 to help

police officials with a brutal multivictim child abduction

and murder case that received worldwide attention.

CASKU also can coordinate the application of all

FBIHQ resources needed in a particular case, including laboratory resources. The FBI laboratory is

the only full-service Federal forensic science laboratory serving the law enforcement community. The

FBI is mandated by Title 28, CFR Section 0.85, to

conduct scientific examinations of evidence, free of

charge, for any duly constituted law enforcement

agency in the United States. Child-related cases

consistently receive priority attention from the laboratory. Assistance is provided through evidence

response teams; document services; latent fingerprint services; scientific analysis services (including

chemistry-toxology, DNA analysis/serology examinations, explosives, firearms-toolmarks, hairs and

fibers, and materials analysis); polygraphs; special

projects (including graphic design, photographic
16

processing, special photographic services, structure); and forensic science research and training.

CASKU recently created a comprehensive investigative and resource guide titled Child Abduction Response

Plan. This plan incorporates the combined experience and suggestions of CASKU, FBIHQ, and FBI

agents fieldwide and vital contributions from many

State and local officers through the country. The

document will be disseminated soon to all FBI field

offices and to local and State law enforcement agencies nationwide to provide specific guidance and

suggestions to help investigators respond to and

investigate reported child abductions/kidnapings.

This resource guide will help investigators deal with

the varied and complex problems associated with

these critical and time-sensitive cases.

FBI field offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, and San

Francisco participate in interagency child sexual

exploitation task force operations, again illustrating

the value of pooling interagency resources. Numerous child sexual exploitation and child abduction/

kidnaping investigations have been resolved through

these task force operations. The FBI intends to further expand such task force operations, ensuring

that specialized child sexual exploitation training is

provided to FBI field agents and other law enforcement personnel associated with those investigations.

The FBI also offers an extensive training program

for the law enforcement community. Training in a

broad spectrum of topics is offered to bona fide law

enforcement personnel in settings around the country and at the FBI academy. Each FBI field office

has a training coordinator to assist law enforcement

agencies in obtaining the desired training.

In addition to the many investigative, task force,

working group, and document publication issues

that have been addressed in the past year, the FBI is

also involved in the implementation of new legislative mandates, including the Pam Lyncher Sexual

Offender Tracking and Identification Act, which

was signed into law on October 4, 1996. This law

provides for the nationwide registration and tracking of convicted sex offenders who have committed

certain sex offenses against minors and mandates

that the FBI maintain an appropriate national registration data base. The complex investigative process

has already begun, and the FBI will continue to

pursue the mandate in the coming year.

For additional information about the Child Abduction and Serial Killer Unit, contact:

Mr. William Hagmaier or Ms. Cindy Lent

U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Child Abduction and Serial Killer Unit

Quantico, VA 22135

540–720–4700

For additional information about the Office of

Crimes Against Children, Special Investigations and

Initiatives Unit, contact:

Ms. Sarah Pickard, Mr. Dan Wright, or

Mr. George Martinez

U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation/Headquarters

Office of Crimes Against Children

Special Investigations and Initiatives Unit

10th and Pennsylvania Avenues NW., Room 5042

Washington, DC 20535

202–324–3666

U.S. Department of Justice,

Office for Victims of Crime

The mission of the Office for Victims of Crime

(OVC) is to enhance the Nation’s capacity to assist

crime victims and to provide leadership in order to

change attitudes and practices to promote justice

and healing for all victims of crime. OVC administers the Crime Victims Fund (hereafter called the

Fund), which was authorized by the Victims of

Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA). Financing for the Fund

comes from criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalty fees, and special assessments collected by U.S.

attorneys, U.S. courts, and the Federal Bureau of

Prisons.

Each year OVC makes awards to State crime victim

assistance and compensation programs to supplement State funding for victim services. In addition,

OVC provides victim assistance training and technical assistance for criminal justice officials and direct

service providers. Exploited children, families of

missing and exploited children, practitioners who
17

provide direct services to victim families, and law

enforcement personnel who investigate and prosecute such cases are eligible to participate in OVCsponsored programs.

Crime victim compensation is the direct payment to a

crime victim or to his or her family to help cover

crime-related expenses such as medical treatment,

mental health counseling, lost wages, or funeral services. Every State administers a crime victim compensation program. Most of these programs have similar

eligibility requirements and offer a comparable range

of benefits. Most programs require victims to report

crimes to the police in a timely manner and to file

claims within a fixed period of time.

Each year OVC uses VOCA funds to supplement

State resources. The grant a State receives is based

on 40 percent of the amount of compensation benefits made by the State in the previous year.

For additional information about the Office for Victims of Crime, contact:

Ms. Sue Shriner

U.S. Department of Justice

Office for Victims of Crime

633 Indiana Avenue NW., Room 1352

Washington, DC 20531

202–616–3577

U.S. Department of Justice,

Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention (OJJDP) was established by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP)

Act of 1974. OJJDP provides leadership, direction,

coordination, and resources to prevent, treat, and

control juvenile delinquency. With the incorporation

of the Missing Children’s Assistance Act into the

JJDP Act in 1984 (Title IV), Congress mandated

that OJJDP coordinate the Federal response to

missing and exploited children and their families.

The Missing and Exploited Children’s Program coordinates activities, provides training and technical

assistance, and conducts research pertaining to missing and exploited children. In addition, the Missing

and Exploited Children’s Program provides funding

support for the National Center for Missing and

Exploited Children (NCMEC).

During this past year, OJJDP provided training to

approximately 1,000 law enforcement personnel

through five Title IV Training and Technical Assistance Programs. Course offerings include Child

Abuse and Exploitation Investigative Techniques,

Child Abuse and Exploitation Team Investigative

Process, Missing and Exploited Children, Child

Sexual Exploitation Investigations, and Responding

to Missing and Abducted Children. (The last two

courses were new in 1996.)

OJJDP also supported the creation of NCMEC’s

Child Exploitation Unit to combat child molestation,

pornography, and prostitution and raise awareness

about the problem of pedophilia. The Unit, funded

by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, is a cooperative effort of that Department, the U.S. Department

of Justice (CEOS and FBI), the U.S. Postal Inspection

Service, and NCMEC.

OJJDP conducted the first national State Clearinghouse/Nonprofit Organization work session in

Tampa, Florida. Representatives from every State

Clearinghouse for Missing and Exploited Children

attended the work session, accompanied by a local

nonprofit agency that provides services to missing

and exploited children. The purpose of this work

session was to bridge communication gaps, foster

greater cooperation, increase understanding and

awareness, and establish enhanced procedures for

the investigation and handling of missing and exploited children cases. Representatives from the

Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office for Victims of Crime, and NCMEC participated in this

work session.

OJJDP, working with the American Bar Association, implemented the International Child Abduction

Attorney Network (ICAAN). The goal of this effort

is to recruit attorneys who are willing to represent

parents (gratis) in legal actions under the Hague

Convention on the Civil Aspects of International

Parental Abduction (hereafter referred to as the

Hague Abduction Convention). More than 250 attorneys nationwide have joined ICAAN and have
18

agreed to handle at least one pro bono case under

the Hague Abduction Convention. A data base has

been established, and a mentoring system is in place.

Through a contract with the American Bar

Association’s Center on Children and the Law,

OJJDP conducted a survey of left-behind parents

whose children were taken from the United States.

The recovery rate for children in international abductions is much lower than in domestic abductions.

Consequently, a greater emphasis on prevention of

international abductions is needed. Results of this

survey were sent to the Hague in time for a meeting

of 44 party countries in spring 1997.

Based upon the results of a study of obstacles to the

recovery and return of parentally abducted children,

the ABA’s Center on Children and the Law also

drafted three model statutes and included them in

State reform packets sent to State judiciary committees. These statutes include a model criminal statute,

flagging statute, and tort statute. Technical assistance was provided to the National Council of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in the drafting of

a uniform custody statute. Judicial training on parental abduction and child custody jurisdiction was

conducted at the annual conference of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. In addition,

a judicial benchbook will be published by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

as a special journal issue in spring 1997.

During this past year, OJJDP also:

♦ Completed research on the prevention of parent

or family abduction, which resulted in the identification of six risk profiles for family abduction

and promising interventions to prevent abductions. The final research report will be available in

1997.

♦ Released preliminary findings from the Child

Murder Research Project, which was conducted

by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office under an OJJDP grant. The goal of the

study is to improve investigative procedures in

the murders of missing and abducted children in

order to more effectively manage and solve individual and serial child murder cases.

♦ Conducted two Policy Development Workshops

for Prosecutors as part of the Parental Kidnaping

Project, which is being conducted by the American Prosecutors Research Institute/National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse (NCPCA).

Approximately 60 prosecutors attended the workshops, which were designed to increase awareness

and understanding of issues relating to parental

kidnaping and to aid in the development of protocols and policies for handling cases. Through this

project, prosecutors also receive case-specific

technical assistance on an as-needed basis. A special edition of Update, which is published by

NCPCA, was devoted to issues and articles relating to parental kidnaping.

♦ Supported a followup to the 1988 National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and

Thrownaway Children (NISMART). NISMART II,

currently in the planning and developmental

stage, is intended to generate information regarding

the number of children who are missing each year.

These activities will continue throughout the

coming year.

For additional information about the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, contact:

Mr. Ron Laney or Mr. Michael Medaris

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Missing and Exploited Children’s Program

633 Indiana Avenue NW., Room 550–F

Washington, DC 20531

202–616–3637

U.S. Department of Justice,

U.S. National Central Bureau

(INTERPOL)

INTERPOL is the international criminal police

organization that comprises designated national

central bureaus (NCB’s) from the law enforcement

agencies of its 176 member nations. The primary

mission of INTERPOL is twofold:

♦ To ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance between all criminal police au-
19

thorities within the limits of the laws existing in

the different countries and in the spirit of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

♦ To establish and develop all institutions likely to

contribute effectively to the prevention and suppression of ordinary law crimes.

Each INTERPOL member country establishes,

funds, and staffs a national central bureau, which

serves as the point of contact for the international

law enforcement community. Every NCB operates

within the parameters of its own nation’s law and

policies and within the framework of the

INTERPOL constitution. In the United States,

authority for the INTERPOL function rests with

the Attorney General. Authority for administering

the U.S. National Central Bureau (USNCB) is

shared by the U.S. Department of Justice and the

U.S. Department of the Treasury.

USNCB receives foreign requests for criminal investigative assistance and directs them to the appropriate U.S. Federal, State, or local law enforcement

or judicial authorities. USNCB also receives domestic law enforcement requests and directs them to the

appropriate NCB abroad. To reach the international

law enforcement community for child-related

crimes, USNCB enters information on the crime,

subject, victim, abducting parent, or missing child

into the INTERPOL network. Requests must be

made by a U.S. law enforcement agency or judicial

authority.

For additional information about the U.S. National

Central Bureau (INTERPOL), contact:

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. National Central Bureau (INTERPOL)

Bicentennial Building, Room 600

600 E Street NW.

Washington, DC 20530

202–616–9000

U.S. Department of State,

Office of Children’s Issues

The Office of Children’s Issues (CI) formulates,

develops, and coordinates policies and programs and

provides direction to foreign service posts on international child abduction and international adoption.

CI also fulfills treaty obligations relating to the abduction of children. CI has 92 separate fliers on its

home page (http://travel.state.gov), including 22

country-specific abduction fliers and 61 country

fliers on adoption.

International Abduction

In September 1995, CI, as the United States Central

Authority for the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (hereafter referred to as the Hague Abduction Convention),

entered into a cooperative agreement with two U.S.

Department of Justice components (the Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the

Office for Victims of Crime) and the National Center

for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Under this agreement, NCMEC provides operational

assistance on incoming Hague Abduction Convention

cases—those cases involving children abducted to, or

being wrongfully retained in, the United States from

countries that are signatories to the Hague Abduction

Convention. NCMEC locates abducted children in the

United States, assists left-behind parents in initiating

court proceedings pursuant to the Hague Abduction

Convention for return of the abducted child, and—

with assistance from the American Bar Association—

finds pro bono attorneys for the left-behind parent.

Since NCMEC began handling nearly 320 incoming

Hague cases from 43 countries, nearly 150 children

have been returned from the United States to their

country of habitual residence.

In 1996, the cooperative agreement was renewed.

The collaborating agencies are continuing to work

together to resolve international parental child abduction cases by providing an array of services to

the parent in the effort to recover the abducted

child, including:

♦ “Welfare and whereabouts” visits with children

by U.S. consular officers from each of the U.S.

Department of State’s 280 embassies, consulates,

and foreign missions worldwide.

♦ Country-specific child custody fliers created with

input from U.S. embassies abroad, including information on the local legal system and family

laws. Fliers have also been prepared on abduction
20

prevention, Islamic family law, tips on how to hire

an attorney, enforcement of U.S. court orders

(including custody orders) abroad, service of processing and obtaining evidence abroad, authentication

of U.S. documents for use abroad, and more than

250 separate lists of attorneys willing to help Americans abroad.

♦ U.S. passport control, by entering the child into

the U.S. Department of State passport lookout

data base.

♦ Embassy assistance in monitoring local judicial

proceedings and assisting parents by directly contacting local officials on their behalf.

♦ A CI case officer for each American child abducted abroad.

♦ U.S. Department of State’s ongoing programs to

encourage new countries to join the Hague Abduction Convention.

♦ Technical assistance to explain Hague Abduction

Convention procedures.

♦ Assistance of volunteers who translate foreign

language documents and conversations.

♦ NCMEC age progression technology for longterm cases.

♦ Poster dissemination abroad by NCMEC to assist

in locating missing children.

♦ Parent and administrative support to help the

family through this difficult time.

International Adoption

CI coordinates policy and provides information on

international adoption to the public. In fiscal year

1996, U.S. citizens adopted more than 11,000 foreign-born children. Because adoption is a private

legal matter within the judicial sovereignty of the

nation where the child resides, the U.S. Department

of State cannot intervene on behalf of an individual

U.S. citizen in foreign courts. CI offers general information and assistance regarding the adoption

process in more than 60 countries.

For additional information about the Office of

Children’s Issues, contact:

Mr. Ray Clore

U.S. Department of State

Office of Children’s Issues

2201 C Street NW., Room 4800

Washington, DC 20520

202–736–7000

U.S. Department of the Treasury,

U.S. Customs Service

The U.S. Customs Service is on the front line of the

Nation’s defense against the illegal importation and

trafficking of child pornography. Long recognized

by both the national and international law enforcement communities for its knowledge of and skill in

the area of child pornography investigations, the

U.S. Customs Service aggressively targets importers, distributors, and purveyors of child pornography to prevent the sexual exploitation and abuse of

children both in the United States and abroad. The

Child Pornography Enforcement Program, which is

housed with the new International Child Pornography Investigation and Coordination Center in Sterling, Virginia, works closely with the Child

Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the Federal

Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection

Service, and the National Center for Missing and

Exploited Children.

In 1996, the U.S. Customs Service handled:

♦ 227 searches—a 220-percent increase from the

previous year.

♦ 144 searches involving computers—a 167-percent

increase from the prior year.

♦ 255 seizures—a 67-percent increase from the

previous year.

♦ 120 arrests—a 186-percent increase from the

prior year.

The U.S. Customs Service provides training in this

country and abroad. Internationally, the U.S. Cus-
21

toms Service has provided training in the areas of

child pornography and computers to authorities at

the Pacific Rim Conference and from Bulgaria,

Canada, Holland, Japan, and New Zealand. Domestically, the U.S. Customs Service has provided briefings to authorities in Florida, Utah, and Virginia. In

addition, undercover operations are under way targeting individuals using computers to transmit child

pornography via foreign commerce. Other operations

focus on the new child sexual tourism law. These

activities will continue in the coming year.

For additional information about the U.S. Customs

Service, contact:

Mr. Greg Burns

U.S. Department of the Treasury

U.S. Customs Service

1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4104

Washington, DC 20229

202–927–2849

For information about the International Child Pornography Investigation and Coordination Center,

contact:

Mr. Don Huycke

U.S. Department of the Treasury

U.S. Customs Service

International Child Pornography Investigation and

 Coordination Center

45365 Vintage Park Road, Suite 250

Sterling, VA 20166

703–709–9700, ext. 353

U.S. Department of the Treasury,

U.S. Secret Service/Forensic

Services Division

Under Title XXXI of the Violent Crime Control and

Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the U.S. Secret Service works with the National Center for Missing

and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to provide forensic services and technical assistance to State and

local authorities in investigating the most difficult

cases of missing and exploited children. These services include the Forensic Information System for

Handwriting (FISH) data base, which allows handwritten or handprinted material to be searched

against previously recorded writings, making possible links or consolidations, and the Automated

Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), a nationwide network with access to the largest collection of

fingerprint data bases in the United States. Among

the other services provided are polygraph investigations and visual information services, such as image

enhancement, age progressions and regression, and

suspect drawings.

During this past year, the Forensic Services Division has completed 38 polygraph examinations that

resulted in the identification of a probable perpetrator in 1 missing child case, arrest of 21 suspects in

child exploitation cases, and clearing of six persons

of child exploitation charges. The Division also located a known child abductor and two kidnaped

children by tracking cellular phone communications

with innovative technologies. In addition, the Division completed:

♦ Four searches in AFIS.

♦ Two age progressions—one involving a request

from the Minister of Interior of Russia, forwarded from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

♦ Two audiotape enhancements in child exploitation

cases.

♦ One videotape enhancement in a child exploitation case.

♦ One voice identification examination case.

♦ 400 searches conducted in the FISH–Missing and

Exploited Children data base.

♦ Two handwriting examinations of the writing of

missing children, one presumed deceased.

The Forensic Services Division gave a number of

presentations to State and local law enforcement,

INTERPOL, and NCMEC clearinghouses and

produced several articles and a brochure relating to

the Secret Service, Forensic Services Division,

Missing and Exploited Children Program.

Finally, as a result of the Omnibus Appropriation

Act, Public Law 104–208, the Secret Service will
22

provide $400,000 to NCMEC for two full-time employees to target child exploitation and pornography; $765,000 to establish an Exploited Child Unit;

$235,000 for training of additional volunteers to

support project ALERT; and $1,200,000 for the

continued funding of the Exploited Child Unit.

For additional information about the U.S. Secret

Service, contact:

Mr. Richard Dusak or Mr. John Hargett

U.S. Department of the Treasury

U.S. Secret Service

1800 G Street NW., Room 929

Washington, DC 20223

202–435–5926

U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Postal

Inspection Service

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service with responsibility for investigating crimes involving the

U.S. mail, including all child pornography and child

sexual exploitation offenses. Specially trained postal

inspectors are assigned to each of the 28 field divisions nationwide.

Child pornography and the sexual exploitation of

children continue to be serious problems in society.

Child pornographers assume the U.S. mail will provide a safe, reliable, and anonymous vehicle to traffic in this illicit material. Recognizing that child

molesters and child pornographers often seek to

communicate with one another through what they

perceive as the security and anonymity provided by

the U.S. mail, postal inspectors have been involved

extensively in child sexual exploitation and pornography investigations since 1977. Since the Federal

Child Protection Act of 1984 was enacted, postal

inspectors have conducted more than 2,800 child

pornography investigations, resulting in the arrest

and conviction of more than 2,500 child pornographers and preferential child molesters.

The following cases illustrate how the U.S. Postal

Service has become a significant force in the fight

against child pornography. In June 1996, following

up on a tip from a commercial film developer, postal

inspectors in Newark, New Jersey, arrested a man

for mailing child pornography. The child depicted in

the photographs was the suspect’s 8-year-old cousin.

In another investigation, a school psychologist was

arrested on July 19, 1996, in Mount Holly Springs,

Pennsylvania, after he received computer disks containing child pornography through the mail.

A search of the suspect’s home revealed a large number of child pornography photographs and videotapes. He has been charged in a Cumberland

County State court with committing numerous indecent assaults upon young children. Additional Federal charges are anticipated.

In May 1996, results of Project Special Delivery

were announced by Chief Postal Inspector Kenneth

Hunter. Project Special Delivery is a highly successful proactive undercover operation that shut down

the largest known commercial child pornography

business ever encountered in the United States and

identified and targeted the mail-order customers

who knowingly purchased illegal material. During a

2-year period, postal inspectors conducted more

than 130 searches in 36 States, resulting in the identification of numerous child molesters, child pornographers, and child victims and the recovery of large

amounts of child pornography material. To date, 81

suspects have been prosecuted. More arrests are

expected.

The U.S. Postal Service works closely with other

Federal, State, and local public and private agencies.

Nationally and internationally, the Postal Inspection

Service is actively involved in initiatives aimed at

curbing the sexual exploitation of children. This

involvement will continue in the coming year. Postal

inspectors will continue to interact with, train, and

speak before audiences at various conferences and

symposiums that are held throughout the country on

topics relating to the sexual exploitation of children

and the mission of the Agency. The Postal Inspection Service once again cosponsored the National

Symposium on Child Sexual Abuse in Huntsville,

Alabama, in 1997.
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For additional information about the U.S. Postal

Inspection Service, contact:

Mr. Ray Smith

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Postal Inspection Service

475 L’Enfant Plaza West SW., Room 3141

Washington, DC 20260–2166

202–268–4286
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Conclusion

In just a short period of time, the Task Force has

made important strides in improving the coordination of services for missing and exploited children

and their families and in increasing skills and awareness of the agencies that serve them. Many of the

collaborative and individual efforts of Task Force

members have had far-reaching effects.

♦ The Task Force’s resource guide has been disseminated to more than 15,000 law enforcement

agencies throughout the country, and scores of

other law enforcement agencies have access to the

guide through the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.

♦ The newly established Jimmy Ryce Training Center is expected to train more than 250 law enforcement executives in its first year of operation.

♦ Federal activities and services have been further

enhanced through the development of the International Division, Child Pornography Tipline,

and Exploited Child Unit at NCMEC. These

collaborative efforts have resulted in an increase

of services for and attention to missing and exploited children and their families.

♦ The World Congress Against Commercial Sexual

Exploitation of Children and the Morgan P.

Hardiman Task Force have helped to focus attention on services for missing and exploited children—both in this country and abroad—and to

increase awareness of these services and cooperation in delivering them.

The continued efforts of the Task Force member

agencies—both individually and collectively—will

help to ensure that children who are missing, abducted, and abused and the families of these children will receive the attention and services they

need and deserve.