What is LOCATER

LOCATER is an advanced, web-based computer program that provides law enforcement with the tools and technology needed to rapidly broadcast missing-child images and information. Through a Congressional mandate and U.S. Department of Justice grant, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is able to offer specific tools at no charge to any law-enforcement agency, whose responsibilities include investigating cases of missing or abducted children. The LOCATER Program is used in more than 4,500 law-enforcement agencies across the United States.

Data shows that on average more than 2,000 children are reported missing everyday.(2) Using LOCATER, agencies can quickly create their own missing-person posters. Once created, copies can be printed for distribution at roll calls, at incident command posts, and to the community. Posters can also be electronically transmitted to other agencies, the media, and the public via the Internet.

(2)As reported by David Finkelhor, Heather Hammer, Andrea J. Sedlak, and Dana J. Schultz in “National Estimates of Missing Children: An Overview,” National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children, Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, October 2002, page 5, an estimated 797,500 children were reported missing in 1999. An NCMEC review of NCIC missing-person reports shows a range of entries from 818,921 to 929,518 for the past six years, and a review of that data from 2001 through 2003 shows that 80% of the entries in the Juvenile, Endangered, and Involuntary categories are for those younger than 18.

How does LOCATER work?

A law-enforcement agency receives a missing-child report and obtains the child's film or digital photograph from a parent or legal guardian.

After entering the missing child's information into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the investigating officer opens the LOCATER secure web site. The web-based program quickly guides the user through the process of generating a poster. A poster can be created in English and Spanish.

The user can print high-quality posters to be distributed at roll calls, at incident command posts, and to the public.

Posters can be distributed electronically to anyone with E-mail capabilities including other agencies and the media. The LOCATER program provides users with an up-to-date list of all participating agencies. Posters can also be targeted to specific zip codes, municipal areas, or states.

All LOCATER posters are available to other participating law-enforcement agencies in a secure database, where they can search for the most recent posters by child's name, agency name, file number, date, and other key factors.

Receiving law-enforcement agencies can view, download, print, and distribute the poster repeatedly.

Other Features

The LOCATER program is not limited to missing-children posters. As an added benefit, LOCATER contains more than 100 different types of posters, including templates for missing adults, wanted persons, and crime alerts. If an agency participates in a voluntary partnership with the media to send out emergency alerts when a child is abducted, such as the AMBER Plan , LOCATER has a template for that as well.

Through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Law Enforcement Online (LEO) network, NCMEC will make its full database of active missing-child cases and images available to law enforcement 24 hours a day. This not only includes cases featured on NCMEC's public site, but those for law-enforcement personnel only.