TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – FDLE recognized National Missing Children’s Day on Thursday, May 25, 2017.

“As we head into the summer months, I urge parents and caregivers to remind children about staying safe,” said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen. “I encourage you to take advantage of the online safety tools and resources available. When a child does go missing, the timely awareness of concerned citizens is often vital to law enforcement in recovering that child quickly and safely. Please sign up to be notified when there is an AMBER or Missing Child Alert in Florida.”

During 2016, Florida law enforcement agencies received 33,366 reports of missing children and FDLE’s Missing Persons and Offender Registration unit provided direct assistance in the recovery of 57 missing children last year.

Citizens can sign up to receive free AMBER and Missing Child Alerts by following FDLE on Facebook or Twitter or signing up to receive email or text message at www.missingchildrenalert.com. The KidSmartz: http://www.kidsmartz.org/ and NetSmartz: http://www.netsmartz.org sites are interactive, educational programs that provide age-appropriate resources to help teach children how to be safer on and offline. The programs are designed for children ages K-5 and 5-17, parents and guardians, educators, and law enforcement.

President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25 as National Missing Children’s Day in 1983 and the nation observes this day each year to mark the anniversary of the disappearance of Etan Patz from a New York City street on his way to school in 1979.

To view safety tips on how to keep your children safe, visit http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MC ICSearch/SafetyTips.asp.  To learn more about Florida’s AMBER Plan, visit www.missingchildrenalert.com.