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Heroes Honored on Behalf of Missing, Exploited Children


The Department of Justice and the Office of Justice Programs recognized extraordinary individuals and their outstanding work on behalf of missing and exploited children with awards presented yesterday at the annual ceremony for National Missing Children’s Day.

2019 NMCD Award
Detective Lorraine Szczepanik of the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, or "ICAC," and Broward Sheriff’s Office, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, received the Attorney General’s Special Commendation for her work in getting three child pornographers behind bars. She is shown here with (left) OJP’s Matt Dummermuth and (right) DOJ’s Ed O’Callaghan.

The awardees—a detective with a state-level task force; two firefighters; and multiple law enforcement officers in two separate jurisdictions—were recognized for getting three child pornographers behind bars...

SMART Forges Partnerships to Manage Sex Offenders

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Opening speakers at the 2019 National Symposium on Sex Offender Management and Accountability included (from left) Theresa Faris, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes; John R. Lausch Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Dawn Doran, acting SMART Office Director; Stacie B. Harris, National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction, Department of Justice; and John F. Clark, President/CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

On July 27, 1981, 6-year-old Adam Walsh entered a Florida department store with his mother. He was abducted by a stranger, and his remains were found two weeks later. The tragedy of the young boy's murder—a brutal crime that was never brought to trial—shocked the nation. His devastated family and supporters channeled their grief and anger in a positive way―to protect other children from sexual...

Visiting Our Partners at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

NCMEC Visit
"I so appreciated getting a behind-the-scenes tour of NCMEC’s extraordinary operations to save children and am so proud of OJP’s long partnership with them." @missingkids -Katie Sullivan at NCMEC.

By Caren Harp, Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a critical partner to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), serving as a resource to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. Since its founding in 1984, NCMEC has helped recover more than 296,000 missing children...

The Legacy of Ashlynne Mike


Pamela Foster experienced every parent's worst nightmare.

Ashlynne Mike photo
Ashlynne Mike

On the afternoon of May 2, 2016, her 11-year-old daughter, Ashlynne Mike, and 9-year-old son, Ian Mike, didn't make it home from school. Instead, when they got off the school bus in Shiprock, New Mexico, on the Navajo Reservation, a predator tricked them into getting into his van. Hours later, passersby found Ian alone, wandering the desert. Police...

Children Exposed to Violence

A study of a national sample of American children found that over the past year 60 percent were exposed to violence, crime, or abuse in their homes, schools, and communities. Almost 40 percent of American children were direct victims of 2 or more violent acts, and 1 in 10 were victims of violence 5 or more times. Children are more likely to be exposed to...

Law Enforcement Resources

OJP, along with DOJ partners, are committed to supporting and protecting America's law enforcement. Featured resources include officer safety & wellness, DOJ resources, VALOR, tribal law enforcement, and helping law enforcement combat opioids.

State Administering Agencies

Many OJP formula grants are awarded directly to state governments, which then set priorities and allocate funds within that state. For more information on how a state intends to distribute formula grant funds, contact the administering state agency. For each state, a list of formula grant points of contact is available by clicking on that state in the map below, or choosing from the drop menu at the bottom of the page. If you are using grant monies for information technology, you can comply with the special condition by contacting the State and Territory Technology Points of Contact in your state