Courtesy of Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP)

As we pause to commemorate Missing Children’s Day on May 25, we remember the high profile disappearances of six-year-old Etan Patz on May 25, 1979, of Adam Walsh in 1981, and the murders of 29 children in Atlanta, which resulted in a nationwide movement to raise awareness for children’s safety and to honor the memory of missing children.

This movement’s hallmark is persistence – the dogged persistence of the dedicated law enforcement professionals tracking down every lead – and the faithful persistence of the families, friends and volunteers who never give up hope that these beloved children will be found. 

We saw 10 years’ worth of that persistent hope rewarded a few weeks ago in Cleveland when three victims were rescued more than a decade after their abduction. Their alleged kidnapper is now facing justice.  And last year – 33 years after Etan Patz’s disappearance – his alleged abductor was found and arrested.  We learned last week that his case is going to trial.

On May 15, Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West honored nine people for their persistent efforts to find and rescue missing and exploited children and to bring perpetrators to justice.

Among the honorees:

• three law enforcement officers, a prosecutor and a child advocate whose efforts led to the arrest and conviction of a North Carolina elementary school teacher who had for years been sexually molesting children and producing pornographic images of them;
• an Illinois detective whose work as a computer forensic specialist led to the arrest and guilty plea of a man who was producing and distributing pornographic images of children;
• two Walmart employees in Washington State whose quick response led to the recovery of a missing Arkansas teenager about to leave the country; and
• an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Louisiana, the lead prosecutor and driving force behind the largest child exploitation case ever prosecuted.  His efforts resulted in more than 29 convictions, including a teacher, a police officer and a high-ranking member of the military. 

I’m especially proud that OJP and our Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention have been in the forefront of the Department of Justice’s work in this area. 

Our progress has been both measurable and extraordinary.  Last year, investigations initiated by the 61 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces led to more than 6,200 arrests and conducted more than 51,000 forensic exams. 

The AMBER Alert program, of which I am the national coordinator, now has returned 642 abducted children to their homes. Today, more than a decade after the last comprehensive study of missing and abducted children, we are engaged in a new national effort to collect data on these victimized and vulnerable populations.

I’ve spent much of my career working to strengthen our responses to victims, and I’m always amazed by the dedication of child advocates – whether they work in a child advocacy center, a law enforcement agency, or as a volunteer in the community.

We thank all of you who spend your days working to find missing children. We are grateful for your persistence – and we are proud to stand beside you.

Other Resources:

• Missing Children’s Day Information and Resources
• Justice Department Recognizes Nine Individuals for Child Protection Efforts at Missing Children’s Day Ceremony
• Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary Speaks at the National Missing Children’s Day Ceremony
• Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the National Missing Children’s Day Ceremony
  

  Esther Jung, a fifth grader from Edwin Rhodes Elementary School in Chino, Calif., received the award as the 14th winner of the Annual National Missing Children’s Day Art Contest.

Also:  Today we join the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in urging everyone to “Take 25” minutes to talk about safety with the kids in your lives.  For more information, visit www.take25.org

The following post appears courtesy of Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary and Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Denise O’Donnell.

This month, the Ash Center for Democratic Government and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government recognized the White House-led Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI) as one of the top 25 programs in this year’s Innovations in American Government Award competition. The recognition commends the Administration’s approach to helping disadvantaged neighborhoods deal with their social, economic and public safety challenges. The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), through its Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), plays a critical role in NRI by building neighborhood capacity to address crime, housing, health and other problems that contribute to community distress.

More than 10 million Americans live in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty. Residents of those neighborhoods face an array of interconnected challenges, from failing schools and inadequate housing to low employment and poor health. The goal of NRI is to help create safe and healthy neighborhoods by breaking down barriers to collaborative problem-solving.

NRI provides federal resources to empower local action. It brings community stakeholders together to maximize the impact of their neighborhood resources. The Department of Justice works closely with the Departments of Treasury, Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development to share ideas and information. BJA plays a central role in its Building Neighborhood Capacity Program, which helps disadvantaged neighborhoods find and access critical resources, and its Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation program, a place-based initiative designed to address persistent crime problems.

NRI is a great example of government-supported innovation. Many of the programs recognized by the Ash Center this year focus on generating smart solutions to seemingly intractable public policy problems. For instance, the General Services Administration’s website, Challenge.gov, allows the government to solicit solutions through a series of contests, including a Body Armor Challenge managed by OJP’s National Institute of Justice. The Department of Justice is proud to join its federal partners in applying these innovations in the nation’s most troubled areas.

For more information about the Innovations in American Government Award please visit: www.ash.harvard.edu/Home/News-Events/Press-Releases/Innovations/Top-25-Innovations-in-Government-Announced2.

For more information about the NRI, please visit: www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oua/initiatives/neighborhood-revitalization.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder met today with Minister of Interior (MVD) of the Russian Federation Vladimir Alexandrovich Kolokoltsev.  During the meeting, Attorney General Holder thanked Minister Kolokoltsev for the assistance by the Russian government relating to the investigation into the terror attack in Boston. They also discussed law enforcement cooperation between the two countries in areas including counterterrorism, transnational organized crime and child pornography. Both Holder and Kolokolstev agreed to continue to strengthen their law enforcement partnership against these shared challenges.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder met today with Indian Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to discuss law enforcement cooperation between the United States and India as well as other matters of mutual concern, such as counterterrorism efforts by both countries. Minister Shinde is in the United States to participate in the U.S.-India Homeland Security Dialogue from May 20-21, 2013.

During National Police Week, the Justice Department participated in events across the country to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect and serve.

On Monday evening, Attorney General Eric Holder spoke at the 25^th Annual National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C.  He said that last year witnessed the fewest line-of-duty deaths since the 1950s, but that a single act of violence against a law enforcement officer is one too many.  Attorney General Holder further noted:

“Especially this evening – as we gather in this place of honor, on this hallowed ground, to mark the 25th Annual Candlelight Vigil – I want to assure you that the courage, the fidelity and the heroic final actions of our fallen officers will never be forgotten.  Every day – in cities, rural areas and tribal communities across the country – these individuals stood on the front lines of our nation’s fight against crime and violence.  Each faced uncertain dangers, and a diverse array of threats, every time they put on their badge and uniform.”

On Wednesday, Attorney General Holder and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary announced several improvements to modernize and streamline the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program.  Attorney General Holder stated:

“These fundamental improvements to the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program will help us cut through red tape – and ensure that fallen or injured officers and their families can get the benefits they need in a timely manner.  These improvements are representative of the value that I, the women and men of the Justice Department, and our entire country, must always place on the work of our law enforcement officers. And, it’s emblematic of our commitment to standing with all who bravely serve our nation, especially in the toughest of times.”

U.S. Attorneys across the country also commemorated Police Week in their districts.  U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz recently recognized 152 officials from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies for exceptional service at the U.S. Attorney’s annual Law Enforcement Public Service Awards Ceremony.  The event followed just weeks after the death of MIT police officer Sean Collier, who was shot and killed on April 18^th just days after the Boston Marathon bombings.

During the event, U.S. Attorney Ortiz praised law enforcement personnel and their accomplishments and recognized the demands placed upon them, saying:

“This work can be difficult, and at times, it may seem thankless.  Please know that your efforts do not go unnoticed. What you have sacrificed – your personal safety, your precious time with your families – it is truly appreciated by our office, your agencies and the communities for which you have dedicated your esteemed service.”

U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York William J. Hochul Jr. spoke at the Police Memorial Service at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Buffalo honoring 94 federal, state and local officers killed in the line of duty and at a monument dedication ceremony in Clarence, N.Y. in memory of New York State Trooper Kevin Dobson who was killed in the line of duty in 2011.   

Other U.S. Attorneys and their staff attended memorial services, parades, wreath laying and other special events commemorating Police Week in Los Angeles, Jackson, Miss., Cleveland and Dayton, Ohio, Providence, R.I., Knoxville, Tenn., Dallas, Charleston, W.V., among others across the country.

Also during Police Week, the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office held an open house in the Capitol Visitors Center for visiting law enforcement officers who wanted to learn more about the agency’s 2013 programs and resources.  COPS staff was on hand to discuss federal funding opportunities, including the COPS Hiring Program, a competitive grant program focused on school safety, veteran hiring and homicide and gun violence reduction.  Grant opportunities for the development of community policing strategies and funding for public safety enhancements in tribal jurisdictions were also highlighted.  

Events continue this weekend and throughout the month, to honor those who serve and protect every community across the country. For more information, including a detailed schedule of events for National Police Week 2013, visit www.policeweek.org.

The following post appears courtesy of Mary Lou Leary, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs.

During National Police Week, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) proudly honors the brave and dedicated officers who enforce our laws and protect our communities. Our streets and homes are safer because of their service — and we are acutely aware of the price that public safety officers sometimes must pay. Every single day, our nation’s public safety officers place themselves in harm’s way to protect our neighborhoods.  Sometimes they are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Fund, on average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty in the United States every 57 hours.  Yet, our officers face those dangers with courage and a devotion to duty. We at the Department of Justice  recognize our solemn duty to support and protect public safety officers as they answer this call.

Through OJP’s Body Armor Safety Initiative, we are working hard to ensure that protective gear, critical to law enforcement safety, is scientifically tested to meet the highest rigorous standards.  Our Bulletproof Vest Partnership program has provided hundreds of thousands of bulletproof vests to state, local and tribal officers on the street. Last year, vests were directly attributable to saving the lives of at least 33 law enforcement officers. Twelve of them were wearing protective vests purchased, in part, with funds provided by this program – and in just the first three months of 2013, there have been 11 recorded incidents of deadly assaults on law enforcement officers who survived because of the vests they were wearing.

OJP’s National Institute of Justice – the department’s research and development arm – supports standards and testing to ensure this protective equipment meets the highest industry standards.

OJP’s VALOR Initiative, administered through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, gives public safety officers critical training to identify and prevent potentially deadly encounters and emerging threats. The VALOR Initiative has trained thousands of officers, who continue to make a difference in their communities and neighborhoods.

And when tragedy does strike, we provide support to officers’ families, friends and departments.  The Public Safety Officers Benefit Program (PSOB) provides death and education benefits to survivors of fallen law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders and public safety officers, and disability benefits to officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty. Through our partnerships with organizations such as the Concerns of Police Survivors, the Officer Down Memorial Page, and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, we actively reach out nationwide to increase survivors’ awareness of PSOB programs and to help them apply for and receive the benefits they deserve.

OJP is committed to its partnership with state, local, and tribal justice systems, and honored to provide the innovative leadership, critical research, and essential funding to support the men and women who risk their lives for our nation’s safety.