National Missing Children’s Day

President Ronald Reagan designated May 25 back in 1983 to maintain awareness about the plight of missing children in the United States.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children coordinates with law enforcement on as many cases as possible to try and bring kids home safely.

While many missing children do technically fall into one category, which is “endangered runaway,” thanks to the manipulation of online child predators, the word “runaway” doesn’t necessarily imply what you think it might.

“They may have left under their own power, under their own two feet, but they may have left under false pretenses,” explained John Bischoff III of NCMEC.

Which is why Captain Bill Ahlfeldt of the Fargo Police Department says they handle each incidence of a missing child with urgency.

“We treat every single report of a missing or a runaway in the same way, and that is that the worst-case scenario has happened until we can prove otherwise,” said Ahfeldt.

Even though most non-runaway missing children are taken somewhere by family members, that doesn’t mean they’re in any less danger.

“About 62% of our Amber Alerts are family abduction related<” said Bischoff. “62% of the Amber Alerts that go out across this nation – 62% of the time there’s a belief that parent’s going to injure that child.”

Then, of course, stranger abductions do occur, but they’re becoming rarer and rarer – accounting for just a third of a percent of the pie.

Still, though, cases involving a missing child can turn frightening in a hurry, no matter the cause for the disappearance.

Which is why the department is so quick to act.

“A lot of people have the misconception that you have to wait 24 hours for us to take a report,” said Ahfeldt. “That’s not the case. State law says we’ll take a report of anyone who says that someone is missing, and we’ll investigate that report to the full extent.”

Ahfeldt says that there is one key tactic that can drastically cut down on worry and heartache – communication.

Bischoff agrees and urges parents to educate themselves on those communication strategies.

“Talk to your children. You’ve got to have that open communication to keep them safe.”