DCJS: Missing Child Reports On The Rise

ALBANY, NY (04/20/2007) (readMedia)-- Every county in New York State reported at least one missing child last year -- except for Hamilton County -- and 27 counties recorded an increase in missing children reports from 2005, according to a new report issued by the Division of Criminal Justice Services.

But the annual report on missing children also shows that abductions are rare, that nearly all abductions are orchestrated by a family member or acquaintance of the child, and that the vast majority of children who go missing are suspected runaways.

"A missing child is every parent's worst nightmare, and we remain committed to responding as quickly as possible," said Commissioner Denise E. O'Donnell of DCJS. "That is why DCJS this year will proactively expand Operation SAFE CHILD, our photo identification program."

SAFE CHILD Cards contain vital information, such as height, weight and eye color, as well as a photograph and two fingerprints of the child. The ready availability of this information enables local law enforcement and the New York State DCJS Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse to respond quickly and effectively in the case of a Missing Child/College Student or AMBER Alert.

"It is our goal to register at least 100,000 children this year through Operation SAFE CHILD," O'Donnell said.

DCJS will staff missing children information centers at Crossgates Mall in Guilderland on the first Saturday of each month throughout the year. Parents will be able to obtain free SAFE CHILD cards at the suburban Albany mall. Cards can also be obtained at several other locations around the state (see www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us/pio/safechild/allevents_safechild.htm)

Additionally, O'Donnell said, the DCJS Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse is expanding its outreach efforts to make both children and parents more alert to the potential risks associated with cyberspace through the Internet Safety Program.

She said that DCJS conducts regular Internet Safety presentations at various locations around the state. More information on those sessions can be obtained by calling the Division of Criminal Justice Services Missing & Exploited Children Clearinghouse at 1-800-FIND-KID (1-800-346-3543) or via www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us/missing/i_safety/presentation_schedule .htm

The New York State Missing Children Register last year received 21,613 reports from police agencies across the State, an increase of 1.8 percent over 2005 and the first increase since 2003. Over 92 percent of those reports involved suspected runaways, and only about one percent constituted abductions.

There were just three reports last year of a child abducted by a stranger -- one from Rockland County, one from Broome County and one from Erie County. Fortunately, all of these children were safely returned. However, four teenage girls who were reported missing turned up deceased during 2006.

According to the DCJS Missing Children 2006 Annual Report (available online at http://www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us/crimnet/ojsa/mcannual06/annual2 006.pdf):

-- Ninety-four percent of the children reported missing were age 13 or older, 60 percent were female and 49 percent were white.

-- The single largest group of cases involved white females 13-years and older. That group accounted for 27 percent of the cases reported.

-- * Suffolk County reported the highest number of cases -- 2,096 -- followed by Westchester (1,995), Albany (1,346), Monroe (1,220), Erie (1,041) and Nassau (988).

-- Two Capital Region counties, Albany and Schenectady, had the highest rates of case reporting in the state (21.4 and 17.6 per 1,000 children, respectively). Statewide, the rate of reporting was 4.7 missing children per 1,000 children in 2006. Albany and Schenectady counties had unusually large numbers of repeat cases involving children who ran away from group homes or other facilities.

-- Forty two percent of the 21,646 cases closed during 2006 were resolved by the child returning home voluntarily. Law enforcement efforts were involved in the return of 18 percent -- or 3,915 children.

The New York State AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert and NYS DCJS Missing Child/College Student Alert Programs have been operating -- and growing -- since 2002 and provide powerful information dissemination capabilities in cases where a missing child is deemed to be in significant danger.

In cases where the abduction of a child is confirmed by investigating law enforcement officials, the New York State Police and the DCJS Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse notify radio and television broadcasters, who interrupt regular programming to provide details to the public.

Alert information is also disseminated through a variety of sources, including electronic highway signs, wireless devices, in-store lottery terminals, DCJS and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children web sites and on television located in New York State Thruway Authority service area facilities. Relatively few missing children cases qualify for the extraordinary response warranted by the Alert programs.

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