[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 78 (Friday, May 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1070-E1071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   ``CODE ADAM'' CHILD SAFETY PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2003

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, as the father of three young children, I 
know the feeling of horror that a parent can face when you are out 
shopping with your kids and you turn around, only to realize your child 
has disappeared. In most cases, you find them in a matter of moments. 
They could have been distracted and wandered off or even may have been 
hiding in the racks of clothing.
  However, what if the unthinkable happens? What if they can't find 
them? What option does a parent have?
  Code Adam is a special alert issued through a store's public address 
system when a customer reports a missing child. Code Adam, which was 
created by Wal-Mart, is a special alert issued through a store's public 
address system when a customer reports a missing child. A brief 
description of the child is obtained and provided to all designated 
employees who immediately stop their normal work to search for the 
child, and monitor all exits to help prevent the child from leaving the 
store. If the child is not found within 10 minutes of initiating a 
storewide search, or if the child is seen accompanied by someone other 
than a parent or guardian, store personnel contact the local police 
department and request assistance.
  The Code Adam measure was established by Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs and 
named in memory of six-year-old Adam Walsh, whose abduction from a 
Hollywood, Florida shopping mall and murder in 1981 brought the horror 
of child abduction to national attention. Since the program went 
nationwide in 1994, it has been a powerful preventative tool against 
child abductions and lost children in more than 40,000 stores and 
public buildings making it the largest child safety program in the 
nation.
  Over the past year, child abduction has once again been brought to 
the forefront of public attention. It is critical that retailers and 
parents alike remain engaged and committed to protecting our children.
  I am encouraged by new survey results released this week by the 
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and ADVO, 
Inc., which showed more parents are

[[Page E1071]]

reviewing safety precautions with their children and have developed a 
plan of action with their children should they be abducted.
  Parents are responding proactively to the increased media attention 
and are taking the necessary steps to help keep their children safe. It 
is my hope that the Code Adam resolution will encourage our nation's 
retailers to follow suit. There is no reason why every large retail 
store should not be implementing this program.
  That is why today I am introducing a resolution that commends those 
retail and public establishments that have instituted the Code Adam 
program and encourages all retailers across the nation to do the same. 
Companies like Wal-Mart, KMART, Gap and Marshall's should be commended 
for implementing the program and training employees to follow the 
proven Code Adam formula.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join with me and cosponsor this 
resolution. I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the 
original cosponsors: Representatives Lampson, Foley, Kaptur, Millender-
McDonald, Brown of Florida, Acevedo-Vila, Frost, Payne, Rothman, 
Schiff, Wilson of South Carolina, and Wexler.
  One of society's greatest responsibilities is to protect our 
children. We owe it to our kids to do everything we can to ensure their 
safety.

                          ____________________