IMPROVING REPORTING ON MISSING PERSONS

By Congressman Rick A. Lazio (R-NY)

Every day, thousands of families of missing persons throughout the country must suffer through the agony of not knowing whether a loved one is still alive. Each day these families have to endure this pain can seem like an eternity--and in some cases it is unnecessary. Even though the information we may need to find missing persons is gathered by law enforcement organizations, that information is difficult to access.

In early 1999, I introduced a bill called "Jennifer's Law" that addreses this problem. The legislation is named after Jennifer Wilmer, a native of Long Island, New York, who has been missing since 1993. Jennifer left home at age 21 to move to California in an effort to follow her dreams of making it on her own. One day she left her house in California to pick up an airline ticket to go back to visit her parents, but she never made it to the travel agency.

Jennifer's Law, just recently passed by both houses of Congress and waiting to be signed into law, provides $2 million in grant money to the States to improve the reporting of unidentified and missing persons. By entering complete files on unidentified victims through the utilization of existing technology, states call cross-reference missing persons files and help solve cold cases.

The Problem
In 1975, the Federal Bureau of Investigations created the Missing Persons File within its National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. Eight years later, they added an Unidentified PersonsFile to the NCIC. Currently, local law enforcement agencies enter information into the Missing Persons File, but are not required to cross-check cases with the Unidentified Persons File. Without this complete information, the possible connection between missing child and unidentified child is never made.

The technology to do this has been available for 16 years, and all law enforcement officials have access to it. However, the sad fact is that the system remains completely under-utilized due to manpower restrictions and a lack of oversight.

As it currently stands, if a deceased person is found and cannot be identified, there is no way to make a possible match to a missing person. Therefore, the families of missing persons might never know if their loved one is alive or deceased. These families deserve the sense of closure that comes with knowing that their child is no longer among the missing.

The Answer: Jennifer's Law
Jennifer's Law requires state law enforcement to report information on unidentified bodies they find to the NCIC. The bill also provides funding for the associated costs, making available the necessary resources to utilize the current technology of the FBI and enable the cross-referencing of the two databases.

Thousands of people like Jennifer are reported missing every year. The families of these missing people are still awaiting news about their missing loved ones. Without the full use of the cross-referencing system available with the NCIC, these families may never have closure. Enactment of this legislation will assist in bringing that closure to parents of missing children so that other families will not have to endure the additional pain the Wilmers have suffered.

When signed into law, Jennifer's Law will help ease the suffering of families coping with the anguish of unanswered questions. It will reassure them that everything possible is being done to reunite them with loved ones. The funding for this project is a small price to pay compared to the cost of not knowing that someone you love has been found. And without this funding, thousands of families will be deprived of a chance for closure, a chance to move on at last.

Child Personal Safety: What You Really Need To Know. Winter 1999, Vol.5, No.3