Document Title

DMV MISSING CHILD
POSTER PROGRAM

P.A.R.K	Program Summary	Why Get Involved?	About VCA	Contact Us	Download Forms	*Poster Updates*

Public Awareness Recovers Kids

Experience has shown that one of the most effective tools in the location and recovery of missing/abducted children is the display of their pictures and physical description to the public. Because of the large and constant number of visitors in and out of driver's license and motor vehicle service offices, these locations provide a very effective venue for reaching many people. Therefore, in 2001, with the cooperation, support, and assistance of the state office, the Vanished Children's Alliance (VCA) began its Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) Poster Program with California. Over the past four years, the California DMV Poster Program has proven to be a win-win situation for the DMV offices, VCA, and most importantly, the missing children.

The program consists of the placement of VCA's large format (11x17) missing child posters in a public area in the motor vehicle service field offices throughout the state. Each poster contains the photograph and descriptive information of 20 missing/abducted children for which law enforcement is seeking assistance in locating. The children featured in these posters are from throughout the entire United States. Each poster displays VCA's 800 number for the public to call in leads and sightings 24-hours a day. As this information is received, it is immediately forwarded by VCA to the appropriate law enforcement agency for investigation and handling.

SAMPLE POSTER
Each 11x17 Poster Features 20 Missing Children from Various Parts of the Nation.

Depending on the display area available, the field offices can display from one to five color-coded posters. As these posters are updated with new cases, replacement posters are provided through the dissemination mechanism established with each participating state.

Due to the success of this program in California, VCA is working to expand this program nationwide. VCA will accomplish this through an enhancement and expansion of existing California DMV group poster dissemination network to include other states. The process for dissemination of the posters to the field offices can be tailored to the needs and procedural guidelines for each state. Depending on the needs and desires of the participating states, the posters can be mailed directly to the individual field offices or provided to the state-level offices for distribution.

Benefits to DMV offices:
· Assist in the location of missing children from around the nation.
· Provide additional public service with very little effort.
· Positively affect their communities through promoting awareness of the missing and abducted children's issue.
· No long-term obligation.
· No cost to participate.

Benefits to Missing/Abducted Children:
· Increased public awareness of the issue of missing and abducted children.
· Increased exposure to child photos and information to the public.
· Increases the number of leads and sightings law enforcement can use to locate and recover these children.

Benefits to Your Community:
· Increase of awareness and consciousness to the issue and child safety and abduction prevention.
· Provides the community with knowledge of VCA, which can be a valuable resource through their educational and case management services.

The Vanished Children's Alliance (VCA) is the oldest and second largest missing children's organization in the United States, and has been providing for the prevention, location, recovery and reunification of missing and abducted children since 1980 (incorporated as a 501(c)3 in 1981). With our national headquarters in San Jose, California, the Vanished Children’s Alliance provides critically needed direct services to families of missing and/or abducted children. VCA gives equal importance to abduction prevention, community outreach, training, and child advocacy. All services are provided to searching parents and law enforcement free of charge. We are dedicated to keeping children safe and bringing missing children home.

Vanished Children’s Alliance
991 W. Hedding St., Ste. 101
San Jose, CA 95126
Phone: (408) 296-1113 Fax: (408) 296-1117
Email info@vca.org
URL: www.vca.org

Have a Question? Need More Info?
Fill out the following form and we will contact you the following business day.

My office would like to participate in the P.A.R.K program
I have some questions, please contact me
I have a comment

Tell us how to get in touch with you:

First Name	Last Name
Title/Position	e.g., Office Manager
State
Department	e.g., Department of Motor Vehicles
Address	Suite
City	State Zip Code
Phone	Ext.
Fax
Email

How did you hear about the P.A.R.K program?

Other:

Enter your comments in the space provided below:

*Poster Update 02.26.2005 - Affected Poster: Blue

Child's Name: Christian Terranova
Label: "Located"

Christian was located on 02/24/2005, in San Diego California.

Please update all Blue posters with this information immediately.