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Juvenile (under 18)

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...

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...