 Attorney General John Ashcroft |
On May 20, 2003, a ceremony was held in the Great Hall at the U.S. Department of Justice to commemorate National Missing Children’s Day. Attorney General John Ashcroft and other dignitaries were present to focus attention on this important issue. The ceremony, organized by the Office of Justice Programs’ Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), featured opening remarks from Assistant Attorney General Deborah Daniels and was moderated by OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores. Patty Wetterling, child advocate and mother of Jacob Wetterling who has been missing since 1989, also spoke at the event, describing the emotional trauma inflicted on the family of a missing child.
Attorney General Ashcroft presented a number of awards to law enforcement officers who were honored for their efforts to recover and assist missing and exploited children. “I’m honored to praise the law enforcement officers and others who vigorously defend and protect our nation’s children every day,” said Attorney General Ashcroft. “Law enforcement officers are often the first responders when a child is at risk or is missing, and they deserve recognition for their outstanding service and dedication to their communities.”
 OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores, U.S. Postal Inspector Elizabeth Bendel, Attorney General Ashcroft, Assistant Attorney General Deborah Daniels |
The Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award was presented to U.S. Postal Inspector Elizabeth Bendel, who was instrumental in uncovering an international child pornography business headquartered in Florida. Through Inspector Bendel’s diligent efforts, the perpetrator and four co-conspirators were apprehended. As a result, 135 victims in the case are now safe and out of harm’s way.
Awards were also presented to Special Agent Stacey L. Mitry of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in San Jose, CA; Detective Larry A. Johnston of the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Department in Brigham City, UT; Lieutenant Stephen M. Smith of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office in Lancaster, CA; Senior Deputy Lawrence Thatcher and Senior Deputy James Stratton of the Kern County Sheriff’s Department in Bakersfield, CA; Special Agent Benjamin Yen of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Oakland, CA; and Sergeant Dave A. Torsiello and Assistant Attorney General Maya Guerra-Gamble of the Internet Bureau of the Texas Attorney General’s Office in Austin, TX.
 Special Agent Stacey L. Mitry, Attorney General Ashcroft |
 Detective Larry A. Johnston, Attorney General Ashcroft |
 Lieutenant Stephen M. Smith, Tamara Brooks, Senior Deputy Lawrence Thatcher, Senior Deputy James Stratton, Attorney General Ashcroft |
 Special Agent Benjamin Yen, Attorney General Ashcroft |
 Administrator Flores, Sergeant Dave A. Torsiello, Texas Assistant Attorney General Maya Guerra-Gamble, Attorney General Ashcroft |
 Administrator Flores, Robbie Callaway, Chief Phil E. Keith, Ernie Allen, Assistant Attorney General Daniels |
The 2003 Law Enforcement Leadership Award was presented by Ernie Allen, President of NCMEC, to Chief Phil E. Keith of the Knoxville (TN) Police Department for his 28-year career in law enforcement and efforts on behalf of children.
Robbie Callaway, Chairman of the Board for NCMEC, presented the 2003 National Children’s Courage Award to young Erica Pratt who, as a 7-year-old in July 2002, was abducted by two men in Philadelphia, PA. Held captive in the basement of an abandoned home with her hands and feet bound with duct tape, Erica freed herself by chewing through the duct tape, kicking open the basement door, making her way to a window, and yelling for help.
 Robbie Callaway, Tamara Brooks, Keisha Pratt, Erica Pratt, Administrator Flores, Patricia Wetterling |
Ms. Daniels, who serves as National Coordinator for AMBER Alert, provided an update on the program, describing its past successes and future plans. “National Missing Children’s Day allows us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the strong partnership between the public and private sectors who work together on preventing abductions and providing services to child victims and their families,” said Ms. Daniels. “It is through these partnerships that we will develop and implement a coordinated nationwide AMBER Alert system that will offer a tremendous asset in bringing abducted children safely home.” Tamara Brooks, one of the 70 children safely returned home as a result of AMBER Alert, was in attendance and introduced during the ceremony.
 Administrator Flores, Kelly Sauerer, Carissa Hahn, Assistant Attorney General Daniels |
Mr. Flores spoke about the growing use of new technologies to exploit children, described the work of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and emphasized the need for collaboration to tackle the problem of missing and exploited children. He was later joined by Kelsey Sauerer, last year’s Art Contest winner, to present the 4th Annual Missing Children’s Day Arts Contest Award to Carissa Hahn, a middle school student from Hutchinson, MN.
In her moving tribute to the families of missing children, Patty Wetterling described the effect of the abduction of her son Jacob on herself and her family. She read from a recollection of Jacob’s sister, who described her feelings as an 8-year-old girl when her brother went missing. Echoing the theme of the ceremony, “Bringing Our Missing Children Home Safely,” she encouraged the public to “look at the pictures of our missing children” and noted the important role ordinary citizens can play in the recovery of missing children.
 Morgan Cambs, Billy Darvill |
The ceremony concluded with a performance by Morgan Cambs and Billy Darvill, two members of the Bells of Love, a musical group from Syracuse, NY, that was formed in response to the 1993 abduction and murder of 12-year-old Sara Wood.