"Every year, 800,000 children are reported missing in our country. 60,000 of these cases are right here in Texas," said Mrs. Bush. "Yet because of the hard work of law enforcement, concerned Americans, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, most of these cases are resolved. And today, I'm very proud to announce that our capitol city will soon be home to a new center for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which will help protect our children."

Two Austin businesswomen and prominent Texans, Diane Allbaugh and Jan Bullock led the effort to create the Texas regional office. Believing that more needed to be done to stop the growing incidence of Texas children being harmed by predators, the women persuaded corporate leaders and others to commit to making the local office a reality. “The people of Texas are not going to stand by and let our children be victimized,” said Mrs. Allbaugh. “Texans are pooling their resources to support the Austin office and will do everything possible to keep our children safe.”

The Austin office will work with and assist existing government and non-government organizations in prevention and education programs, provide training for law enforcement and prosecutors, with particular emphasis on Internet-related crimes against children, and will establish a staff, including case managers, who will work with and assist state and local law enforcement in difficult cases.

“We have long hoped to have an office in the Southwest,” said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of NCMEC. “We were thrilled when the people of Texas came to us with enough money to open and sustain an office in Austin.”

Why Texas?

* Of the nation’s 603,000 registered sex offenders, 48,280 are in Texas, second only to California. One-fourth of the registered sex offenders in the entire U.S. are in California and Texas.
* An estimated 800,000 children are reported missing every year in the U.S. During 2006, more than 60,000 children were reported missing in Texas.

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* More than 58,000 children are abducted each year by non-family members. Texas is second only to California in the incidence of non-family abduction cases.
* In recent years, Texas has experienced a series of tragic cases: Laura Smither of Friendswood, Amber Hagerman of Arlington, Ashley Estell of Plano, and others.
* Ten of the top 100 fastest growing counties in the U.S. and eight of the largest counties in the nation are located in Texas.
* Texas is also a leading state for crimes against children and did not have a NCMEC presence as do California, Florida and New York.
* NCMEC plays a leading role in international child abductions, the largest of which involve Mexico. The 1,254 mile Mexican Border poses a huge “flight” problem for law enforcement in the rescue of children and the apprehension of criminals. Texas is not only the gateway to Mexico, but also to Central and South America.
* There is a strong demand for training from NCMEC that would be convenient to law enforcement in Texas and others in the region.

“Texas has special challenges because of its size and status as a border state. At the same time, in the battle to protect children, Texas has been a leader,” said Allen. “Its law enforcement agencies have become national models, including the widely praised Dallas Police Department Sex Offender Apprehension Program (SOAP). We are already working closely with the Texas Missing Children’s Clearinghouse, and others, and believe that Texas is the perfect place to base an office. The additional resources we will be able to offer from an Austin office will aid and enhance the work that is currently being done to target offenders and keep children safe.”

The problem of missing and exploited children is vast and complex. More than 2,000 children are reported missing every day, and one in five girls and one in ten boys will be sexually victimized before they reach age 18.

The office in Austin, Texas is scheduled to open sometime this summer in space donated by American Bank of Commerce in Austin.

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About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 441,900 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 127,700 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 110,200 children. The headquarters of NCMEC is located in Alexandria, VA. Other offices include Tustin, California; Naples, Florida; Lake Park, Florida; Kansas City, Kansas; Rochester, NY; New York, NY; Utica, NY; and Columbia, SC.

For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at

1-800-THE-LOST or visit its website at www.missingkids.com.