Governor McCrory Proclaims Missing Children's Day | Eastern North Carolina Now

    For Immediate Release:

    Raleigh, NC     Governor Pat McCrory has proclaimed Saturday, May 25, 2013, as Missing Children's Day, and he encourages families to participate in the observance by taking time to record important information on each of their children and store it both electronically and in hard copy.

    "Today is the perfect time to write down accurate descriptions of your children as well as take their pictures. It's crucial to have these materials readily available in case the unthinkable happens," said Governor Pat McCrory. "Getting up-to-date pictures and descriptions into the hands of law enforcement officers is vital to finding a missing child, particularly within the first few hours into a search."

    Last year, the N.C. Center for Missing Persons activated the AMBER Alert System nine times for alleged child abductions. Each child was recovered safely.

    Department of Public Safety Secretary Kieran Shanahan said, "Parents should know where their children play, who their friends are and talk with them about how to be safe at home, at school and on the Internet. "

    An AMBER alert is only broadcast through radio, television, cell phone and billboard announcements when a child, age 17 or younger, is believed to have been abducted by a stranger or is in danger of injury or death. The alert allows citizens be on the lookout for the abductor or the child and notify law enforcement if they are seen.

    The State Highway Patrol oversees the Center for Missing Persons and is responsible for determining the criteria for issuing an AMBER Alert to the public.

    In addition to the AMBER Alerts, the center recorded more than 10,000 missing children in 2012. Many of these children were teen runaways who either returned to their families on their own or were found by law enforcement.

    Supervisor of the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons, Nona M. Best, encourages families, teachers and agencies across the state to participate in the Take 25 Program. In support of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's observation of National Missing Children's Day, the program encourages parents, teachers and law enforcement agencies to take 25 minutes to talk about safety with children.

    For more information on safety and prevention training, contact the N.C. Center for Missing Persons, call 1-800-522-5437 or visit http://www.ncdps.gov/.

    Click here to read and download a copy of the proclamation.


    Contact: Crystal Feldman     govpress@nc.gov