In recognition of National Missing Children’s Day, May 25, 2024, the Oregon State Police Missing Children/Adults Clearinghouse is holding an event at the north end of Capitol Mall Park in Salem. Oregon State Police (OSP) representatives and partner agencies will be on hand with activities and giveaways to provide resources for parents, guardians, and caregivers. The event is from 11 AM to 2 PM at Center Street NE between Winter and Capitol Streets.

As of May 8, there remains 11 missing children in Oregon in 2024. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children lists 61 Oregon children still actively missing. It is often thought that abductions is a metro problem. However, only 4 of the 11 were in Portland.

The event will include informational booths from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Safe Oregon, OSP’s Missing Children/Adults Clearinghouse, and Marion County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue. Attendees can pick up free identification and DNA kits, visit with a police search and rescue K-9, and tour OSP’s new command vehicle.

Julie Willard, OSP’s Missing Children/Adults Clearinghouse coordinator, said, “National Missing Children’s Day is an opportunity to remember the thousands of children who go missing each year. We work to educate parents about how to keep their kids safe, and we teach children about the “4 Rules for Personal Safety” that they can learn about on Kid Smartz."

Kid Smartz is a child safety program that educates and empowers grades K-5 to practice safer behaviors. Please visit the Kid Smartz website for more information.

President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25, 1983, the first National Missing Children’s Day in memory of Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy who disappeared from a New York City street corner on May 25, 1979. Etan’s killer was convicted in February 2017, but the case remains active because his body has never been recovered. National Missing Children's Day is dedicated to encourage parents, guardians, caregivers, and others concerned with the well-being of children to make child safety a priority. The commemoration serves as a reminder to continue our efforts to reunite missing children with their families.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

AMBER Alerts is one way to get a rapid response. The AMBER Plan is a voluntary, cooperative partnership between law-enforcement agencies and broadcasters to send a rapid alert to the public when a child has been abducted and it is believed that the child's life is in grave danger. The program was created in 1996 in response to public outrage when 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped and brutally murdered while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas.

AMBER stands for America’s Missing Broadcast Emergency Response. The AMBER Alert system has had a significant impact in recovering missing children. According to the statistics, as of December 31, 2023, 1,200 children were successfully recovered through the AMBER Alert system, and 180 children were rescued due to wireless emergency alerts. Additionally, a 2021 study found that Amber Alerts were often successful in familial abduction cases, but less effective in cases where a child was abducted by a stranger. OSP hopes awareness will help with prevention, and that’s the purpose of this event.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-05-09 22:14:44

Last Update: 2024-05-09 23:03:08