New York State Executive Chamber | Governor Eliot Spitzer

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Citation

Whereas, New York State is recognized as a national leader in the area of missing children recovery and through its law enforcement agencies has taken an active role in locating missing and abducted children, having instituted measures to assist in the critical effort to reunite missing children with their families, when such an incomprehensible incident occurs; and

Whereas, one of the most effective tools and resources is the New York State Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse (MECC), which was established in 1987 within the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) by Executive Law 837-e and f, for the purpose of providing investigative support services for law enforcement agencies in connection with missing children cases; and

Whereas, the Clearinghouse also provides assistance to family members of missing children, provides informational resources, and sponsors community education programs to raise public awareness about the issue of missing children and to decrease the incidence of missing children; and

Whereas, recognizing the importance of teaching children about safety, the MECC staff distribute literature and deliver presentations in schools and through community outreach programs, in order to convey a message that helps to heighten awareness among children and, ultimately, to prevent child disappearances; and

Whereas, highly-trained MECC staff have worked in close association for 20 years with law enforcement agencies and with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on specific cases related to missing children from New York State, from other regions of the country, and international cases covered under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction; and

Whereas, the AMBER Alert Program is a key component of the New York State MECC, conducted in conjunction with the New York State Police, the New York Broadcasters Association and other public and private sector partners, and the program is an efficient and effective mechanism for providing law enforcement with rapid and widespread public dissemination of information in the event of a child's abduction;

Whereas, New Yorkers recognize that our communities must always remain safe havens for our children and we applaud the dedicated efforts of law enforcement agencies and those professionals who protect us by striving to prevent all forms of victimization, and we appreciate these individuals, as well as resources such as the MECC, which has proven to be a highly valuable tool in the effort to locate missing children from New York State for the past twenty years;

Now, Therefore, I, Eliot Spitzer, Governor of the State of New York, do hereby cite The 20Th Anniversary Of The Missing And Exploited Children Clearinghouse at the Division of Criminal Justice Services and congratulate its team on two decades of loyal service and innovative leadership.

Eliot Spitzer, Governor

Richard Baum, Secretary to the Governor