10-31-2009 Florida:
At times Florida can seem to be the national epicenter of reported missing children and child abductions.
The cases here gain national prominence and rarely have happy endings. After the media fanfare is over, the children's names stick out as sad reminders: Carlie Brucia. Jessica Lunsford. Trenton Duckett. Caylee Anthony. Haleigh Cummings. And now Somer Thompson.
The state does hold a number of unfortunate distinctions when it comes to measuring the number of children reported missing and, what some consider a related statistic, the number of registered sex offenders in the state.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Florida generally ranks third in the nation — behind only California and Texas — for reported missing persons, most of whom are children, registered sex offenders and the number of "stereotypical kidnappings," the most serious kind of stranger abductions.
The numbers can seem frightening for parents. Florida had nearly 62,000 missing-person reports during 2007. And as of July, the state had 51,560 registered sex offenders.
The vast majority of missing-person cases end up getting resolved. Many times reported missing children are kids who get lost or are runaways, said Ernie Allen with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Many other cases involve custodial disputes. So of the roughly 800,000 kids reported missing nationwide each year, only about 58,000 represent "nonfamily abductions," Allen said. And only about 115 of those are defined as "stereotypical kidnappings."
Those involve someone the child does not know or has only a slight acquaintance with and who "holds the child overnight, transports the child 50 miles or more, kills the child, demands ransom or intends to keep the child permanently," according to Allen and U.S. Department of Justice statistics.
The large missing-persons numbers in California, Texas and Florida may be explained by a number of common factors.
"You've got large, populous states. You've got magnet states," Allen said. "You've got year-round climate, and kids tend to be relatively more accessible."
The large numbers of sex offenders in those states "probably" have some correlation, Allen said, but he also noted that not all sex offenders' crimes involve children.
"The 51,000 in Florida does not mean they all represent a serious threat to children in the state," said Allen, who has called for a tiered system for delineating sex offenders.
Florida ranks behind 13 other states in the number of sex offenders per 100,000 people. Florida has 281 such offenders per 100,000. Nationwide the ratio is 223 per 100,000. ..Source.. by Anthony Colarossi Sentinel Staff Writer
October 31, 2009
FL- Florida ranks third in missing persons, mostly children
July 22, 2009
Ron Klein (FL) Bill to Protect Missing Children Passes House
Not sure phone calls are better than pictures. i.e., maybe have folks turn on TV to certain channel..
7-22-2009 National:
Legislation expands South Florida non-profit into national program
Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation authored by Congressman Ron Klein (FL-22) to help find children in the critical moments after they are reported missing. The bill, the A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center Act (H.R. 1933) expands the widely-praised South Florida non-profit A Child Is Missing into a national program. The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support by a final vote of 417-5.
“This legislation is essential to every family around the county,” Klein said. “Every parent’s worst nightmare is to find that their child is missing, and today’s legislation can put their minds at ease by utilizing the latest technology to quickly find missing children and avoid potential tragedy.”
When a child or senior citizen is reported missing, A Child Is Missing utilizes the latest technology to place 1,000 emergency telephone calls every 60 seconds to residents and businesses in the area where the person was last seen. The program works in concert with the AMBER Alert, but is activated more quickly. Time is a critical factor, as 74 percent of children who are kidnapped and murdered are slain within three hours of their abduction. Klein’s legislation has the support of law enforcement agencies nationwide.
“A Child is Missing fills a critical gap in time in the most dangerous cases, and can be the difference between whether a child lives or dies,” Klein said. “There is nothing more important than protecting our children, and the founder of A Child is Missing, Sherry Friedlander, deserves our highest praise for turning her Ft. Lauderdale-based nonprofit into a blessing for parents nationwide. A Child is Missing has safely recovered kids from Ohio to Alaska, and with the passage of today’s legislation, we can serve even more communities.”
Congressman Louie Gohmert, a former Texas state judge and the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, is the lead Republican co-sponsor of the bipartisan A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center Act. ..Source.. by Rep Ron Klein Press Release
