[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11253-11254]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     THE THREAT OF CHILD ABDUCTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kerns). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to remind us that, as 
America is focused on fighting terrorism and providing for homeland 
security, we have recent headlines that tell the story of another 
threat, one that causes parents to question the security of their homes 
and contemplate the safety of their children. That threat is child 
abduction.
  The story is too common. In Kansas, it happened last September, when 
4-year-old Jaquilla Scales disappeared from her home. More recently, in 
Utah, it is 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart who was taken from her bedroom 
while her sister slept nearby. Both girls are still missing.
  This tragedy can strike any family, any community. It is estimated 
that one in 42 children will become a missing child. Each year, between 
200 and 300 children are abducted by strangers, and approximately 
115,000 more children are victims of attempted abduction.
  These statistics remind us of the magnitude of the problem, but also 
indicate that the majority of attempted abductions will fail. In many 
cases, an abduction is prevented by a teacher, a law enforcement 
officer, or a watchful neighbor. A concerned and engaged community is 
our best resource in the war against child abduction.
  When a child is abducted by a stranger, time is of the essence. 
Research shows that 74 percent of children abducted and later murdered 
are killed within the first 3 hours following the abduction. If alerted 
quickly, a community can help save the life of an endangered child by 
providing timely and useful information.
  Tonight I speak in support of two programs that help strengthen the 
partnership between local law enforcement and the public to aid in the 
search for missing children. The AMBER Plan, America's Missing: 
Broadcast Emergency Response, was created 5 years ago in honor of Amber 
Hagerman, who was abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas.
  The AMBER Plan relies on voluntary participation of law enforcement 
agencies and radio and television broadcasters to activate an urgent 
alert following an abduction. Broadcasters use the emergency alert 
system to interrupt radio and television programming to provide 
information concerning the missing child and the possible suspect. This 
plan is now in place in several communities in my home State of Kansas 
and other locations across our country. To date, the plan has been 
credited with saving the lives of 16 children. This life-saving program 
can and should be expanded across the Nation.
  Like the AMBER Plan, the Lost Child Alert Technology Resource, or 
LOCATER program, works to rapidly circulate information concerning a 
missing child. This program provides local law enforcement agencies 
with a computer and the equipment necessary to scan photographs of 
missing children for distribution to fellow law enforcement agencies 
and to the public. The equipment provided as part of the LOCATER 
program is free of charge through the National Center For Missing and 
Exploited Children.
  Few things are more frightening than the abduction of a child. As we 
work to secure our Nation from terrorists, we must also remember the 
safety of our children. Kansans, like most Americans, take pride in 
being good neighbors, people willing to lend a helping hand in time of 
crisis. This is what

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makes our community strong, and this is what can make the AMBER Plan 
and the LOCATER program successful in providing a more secure America 
for our children.

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