The Office of Justice Programs’ Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has announced the award of more than $28.3 million in funding to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to support efforts to prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation.
OJJDP has partnered with NCMEC for more than 30 years to respond to incidents of child abductions and to bring children home safely.
(Learn More about the work of NCMEC. Law enforcement announced in August a significant break in the decades old murder mystery of an unidentified woman and three unidentified little girls found in steel barrels in Allenstown, New Hampshire. The prime suspect in the quadruple homicide has been identified as Terrance Peder Rasmussen. Courtesy of The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and YouTube)
The Center was created to build a coordinated national response to missing and sexually exploited children, establish a missing children hotline, and serve as the national clearinghouse for information and resources related to missing and exploited children.
The grant award will be used to fund the Center’s operations and to provide support, technical assistance and training to assist law enforcement in locating and recovering missing and exploited children.
(Learn The story behind the movement that started the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Courtesy of The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and YouTube)
“Enhancing public safety, which includes protecting our children, is a fundamental priority of our Office,” said OJJDP Acting Administrator Eileen M. Garry.
“These funds will help continue the center’s critical work in locating missing children, preventing the exploitation of children and supporting those who work tirelessly every day to protect our youth.”
NCMEC was created in 1984 by John and Reve Walsh and other child advocates following a series of well-publicized child abductions, including that of their son, Adam.
For more information about the Center, including specific programs and services offered, visit www.missingkids.org.
The Office of Justice Programs
(Get to Know OJP: The Office of Justice Programs, Building solutions, supporting communities and advancing justice. Courtesy of The Office of Justice Programs and YouTube)
The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Alan R. Hanson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims.
OJP has six bureaus and offices:
- The Bureau of Justice Assistance
- The Bureau of Justice Statistics
- The National Institute of Justice
- The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
- The Office for Victims of Crime, and
- The Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART).
More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
