Dear Madam Speaker and Representative McCarthy,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to urge the House to consider and pass S. 5230, the “Help Find the Missing Act,” which passed the Senate by unanimous consent last week.
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), more than 500,000 people go missing and 4,400 unidentified bodies are recovered in the United States each year. Currently, information about missing or unidentified persons is entered into either NamUs, the only database that can be accessed and added to by the public, or the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). However, there is no information sharing between these two databases, creating an obstacle for victims’ families and law enforcement.
This legislation would address this issue by authorizing funding for NamUs, while connecting NamUs with NCIC. This will create a more complete missing and unidentified persons database and streamline the reporting process for law enforcement. By requiring missing children to also be reported to NamUs, in addition to NCIC, this legislation will expand the resources available for law enforcement when searching for a missing child and close a gap in our missing persons databases, guaranteeing a more accessible and comprehensive system for law enforcement and the families of the missing.
On behalf of the more than 364,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I urge the House to take up and pass this common sense, bipartisan bill to help us find and identify our missing persons. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in our Washington, D.C. office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President