In recognition of May 25, 2008 being designated as National Missing Children’s Day, the Virginia State Police are calling for the public’s continued vigilance and involvement in helping locate and safeguard Virginia’s youth, as well as educate Virginia’s youth regarding their personal safety.

Earlier this year, the Virginia State Police Missing Children Clearinghouse and Virginia Department of Education asked 5th grade classes throughout the Commonwealth to join forces with schools across the country to participate in the National Missing Children’s Poster Contest.  The annual contest is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and educates children about their personal safety.

Virginia’s winning poster was created by Miss Jordan Simon of Hebrew Academy of Tidewater in Virginia Beach.  Also placing in the contest were Miss Laura Foretich of West Point Elementary, Mr. Nicholas Rouse of Richmond County Elementary School and Miss Samantha Wolfe of Callaghan Elementary School in Covington.
 
The national winner, Doyoun Park from Sandy, Utah, was recognized May 21, 2008, during the National Missing Children’s Day events held in Washington, DC.  Mr. Park’s poster will be used as the national symbol for Missing Children’s Day in 2009.
 
Also during the national ceremony on May 21, two Virginia citizens, Lisa Ahlbrandt and Sue Midgett, from Norfolk, Va., were presented the AMBER Alert Citizen Award for their swift and intuitive actions which were instrumental in the safe recovery of an abducted infant who was the subject of an AMBER Alert in December 2007.
 
“We sincerely appreciate the tireless efforts of organizations and individuals responsible for bringing our missing youth home,” Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent, said.  “I encourage everyone to view the Web sites below, sign-up for one of the programs and do what you can to assist your community in locating a missing child.”

Virginia Missing Children Information Clearinghouse:

Since enacted by the General Assembly in 1983, the Virginia State Police has maintained the Virginia State Missing Children Information Clearinghouse.  The clearinghouse is linked to all Virginia law enforcement agencies through the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN), the FBI, all U.S. police agencies through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), and all missing children clearinghouses through computer hookups with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC).

The clearinghouse is a repository for all missing children currently reported missing in Virginia. The listing of those with available photographs can be accessed through the Virginia State Police Web site at http://www.vsp.state.va.us/missing_children/missing.htm

As of February 1, 2008, there were 585 reports by Virginia law enforcement agencies statewide of cases involving missing children that remain active and unresolved, with the oldest case dating back to 1977. Runaways account for 97percent of missing children’s cases reported in Virginia. Approximately 93 percent of reported cases involve teenagers. In Virginia, roughly 73 percent of all missing children’s cases are cleared within a week.
 
Virginia AMBER Alert Program:

The Virginia State Police are also responsible for coordinating the Virginia AMBER (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert program.  Nationally, 399 recoveries have occurred as a result of AMBER Alert activations.

In addition, the Virginia State Police applaud the Advertising Council for the new national, multi-media public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, NCMEC and The Wireless Foundation, to raise awareness of Wireless AMBER Alerts™. 

The state police encourage all wireless subscribers to aid in the search for abducted children. Registration for the wireless text messaging service is available through the Department’s Web site at www.vaamberalert.com.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
 
· Take 25 minutes to talk to your children about safety.
NCMEC’s national campaign encourages parents, guardians, and other trusted-adult role models to spend time talking to kids and teaching them ways to be safer. For more information visit their Web site at:  http://www.take25.org/

· Search and view posters from our database of missing children by visiting the Virginia State Police Web site at http://www.vsp.state.va.us/MissingChildren.shtm

· Sign up to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts by visiting the Virginia State Police Web site at http://www.vsp.state.va.us/MissingChildren.shtm

· Sign up for the Missing Children Screensaver by visiting the Virginia State Police Web site at http://www.vsp.state.va.us/MissingChildren.shtm

· Visit the NetSmartz Web site - National Center For Missing & Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) award-winning, interactive, educational safety program that teaches children how to be safer on- and offline at http://www.netsmartzkids.org/uyn/index.htm

· Find additional ways to Promote National Missing Children's Day by visiting http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=3168
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