In advance of National Missing Children’s Day on May 25, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Omaha Field Office encourages parents to spend time speaking with their children about safety issues. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has created a campaign entitled Take 25 to promote parents and children spending at least 25 minutes talking with one another about personal and online safety.

“FBI statistics show that over 440,000 juveniles under the age of 18 were reported missing in 2013,” stated FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Thomas Metz. “While the majority of these children were recovered quickly, it is very important for young people to know the possible dangers around them and how to avoid unsafe situations.”

The Take 25 campaign was created to recognize National Missing Children’s Day, observed annually on May 25. The campaign emphasizes talking with children about personal and online safety issues. While 25 minutes of discussion is the first step, organizers hope that this conversation will lead to an ongoing dialogue between children and the trusted adults in their lives.

Parents can participate in the Take 25 pledge at www.take25.org. The website also has safety tips, discussion guides, brochures, activity sheets, and much more to generate awareness and help parents discuss these important issues with their children. Additional safety tips can be found at www.fbi.gov/summersafety.

As another way to promote child safety, the FBI offers the FBI Child ID App, a free tool to allow parents to securely store photos and vital information about their children on an iPhone or Android device. The free mobile application can be downloaded from the iTunes app store and Google Play. Once installed, parents can add photos and descriptive information about their children to be kept securely on their personal phone. In the event a child is lost or goes missing, this information can instantly be shared with law enforcement personnel to assist in the recovery of the child. The app also includes safety tips and crucial steps to take if a child goes missing.

The FBI has partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for a number of years to protect children and their families. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was established in 1984 as a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. NCMEC works in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice to help law enforcement find missing children, eliminate child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization.

There are 145 children reported missing from Nebraska and 214 reported missing from Iowa.

Jason Jolkowski Current age: 32 Reported missing from Nebraska	Alexandra Bernal-Gallegos Current age: 8 Reported missing from Nebraska
Tyler Thomas Current age: 21 Reported missing from Nebraska	Cody Darrell Age 17 Reported missing from Iowa
Emily Thompson Age 16 Reported missing from Iowa	Fredrick Workman Age 16 Reported missing from Iowa

Contact the FBI at 402-493-8688 with any information.