On January 19, 1996 an Executive Memorandum was issued for all Executive Branch Agencies with custody of Federally-controlled real estate, like the General Services Administration (GSA), to post notices of missing children in public areas of these facilities.
As the "Landlord for the Federal Government", GSA quickly complied and joined the efforts of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)and the Department of Justice to fulfill the directive. Each month GSA creates 10 missing child notices and disseminates these to locations comprising its 345 million square foot real estate inventory. These notices occur in two different media. First the hard copy notices which are displayed on wall bulletin boards and second, the same 10 notices which run on automated computer displays in the lobbies of our largest Federal Buildings.
This World Wide Web page is designed to do several things. It is a clearinghouse for information to Federal agencies with regard to the Executive Memorandum and guidance on how to post the missing child and/or person notices. It allows you to view the 10 notices which are updated each month. It also provides a briefing on GSA's money saving and innovative approach for disseminating the notices. We invite you to explore this information via the links available on this site.
We hope you will assist in this important program which may lead to the reunion of lost children and their families. If even one child is located then the common sense initiative is well worth it.
On January 19, 1996, an Executive Memorandum was issued for the heads of Executive Departments and Agencies directing the posting of missing persons or children notices in Federal facilities and giving priority to missing children abducted by non-family members or who are otherwise in imminent physical danger. Federal facilities, for the purpose of this Memorandum, have been determined to be government-owned buildings, as well as, leased buildings where the government leases the entire building. The following procedures are intended to provide guidance to various Property Management Center Directors (PMCDs), Customer Service Representatives (CSRs), and others, including contractors in some locations, who are responsible for carrying out the requirements of this Memorandum.
As part of GSA's role in carrying out the Executive Memorandum, we are providing, at this web location, missing persons and children notices which can be used by Federal agencies in order to comply with the memorandum. On or about the first of each month, we will change the 10 notices available for posting so that as many missing persons and children as possible can receive exposure through this effort.
PMCDs, CSRs and others will have two responsibilities in implementing the requirements of the Memorandum:
As soon as the monthly updates are available or whenever a missing child featured during the current month is located, those on the GSA Missing Child Notice Program email list will be notified via email. If locations or names of recipients change, the regional missing child coordinators should provide notice of changes to:
Please remove all notices from the previous month and replace with the ten new notices. It is important that new notices not be added to existing notices. When more than ten notices are posted the impact can be reduced.
Care should be taken in choosing a site within the building to display notices. The Executive Memorandum states that notices should be posted in public areas of buildings. The site used to display notices should provide maximum numbers of exposures, including the public. It is suggested that displays be limited to one location within a building, generally the lobby, or at a location with high public traffic such as the entrance to a cafeteria. Notices should not be displayed on multiple floors of the same building, such as in elevator lobbies or floor-by-floor bulletin boards. In leased buildings where GSA does not lease the entire building and have control over the entrance lobby, a missing children display is not recommended.
Missing child notices present a powerful, emotional message. Our employees, and guests in our buildings, should be able to avoid the missing child displays (particularly posters) to reduce any possible emotional distress or discomfort. Please keep all hardcopy displays tasteful and modest in size out of respect for employees who may see the pictures repeatedly throughout their day. This is a special concern in smaller buildings where pictures might be unavoidable by those people who have lost a loved one of their own.
PMCDs, CSRs or contract employees, may receive a request from a parent or guardian of a missing child to post a notice about that child at a local Federal building. If such a request is received, the following procedure should be followed:
a.) If the parent/guardian has a notice of their child showing the NCMEC logo, call the NCMEC Hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678) to 'validate' the notice and take appropriate steps to post that notice immediately.
b.) If the parent/guardian does not have a NCMEC notice about their missing child or has a different type of notice not sanctioned by NCMEC, provide an office phone for the parent/guardian to use to call NCMEC immediately at 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678). Hotline personnel will take appropriate information. If the Hotline determines that the request for posting falls under the Presidential Memorandum, Hotline personnel will ask to talk to you and ask for the local fax number and mailing address. When a notice is available, NCMEC will make sure that it is faxed or expressed to the appropriate Federal location for posting. If the Hotline determines that the request for posting does not fall under the Presidential Memorandum, Hotline personnel will first ask to talk to you, and then will inform the parent/guardian. If the parent/guardian does not call NCMEC, you should do so.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is the national clearinghouse for the US Department of Justice and serves as the coordination point for information about missing children. NCMEC operates a 24-hour Hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678), a missing children Internet Web site at: http://www.ncmec.org and serves as a coordination point with law enforcement agencies around the country, and provides for the preparation and distribution of missing children posters nationally.
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release January 19, 1996
January 19, 1996
MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
SUBJECT: Missing Persons or Children Notices in Federal Facilities
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to provide for the posting of missing persons or children notices in buildings owned or controlled by the Federal Government, I hereby direct as follows:
Section 1. Posting of Missing Persons or Children Notices in Federal Facilities. Executive departments and agencies possessing custody or control over buildings or facilities occupied by Federal employees shall take such actions as are reasonable, necessary, and appropriate to provide for the posting of missing persons or children notices in public and other appropriate areas of such domestic buildings or facilities, as determined by the Federal official having primary responsibility for management and operation of the building or facility involved.
Section 2. Duties of Federal Official. Such official shall maintain, or shall designate a representative to maintain, the physical area upon which missing persons or children notices may be placed. The official or the designated representative shall give priority and special prominence to notices involving missing children who are believed to have been abducted by non-family members or otherwise are in imminent physical danger.
Section 3. Exceptions. Nothing in this memorandum shall require an executive department or agency to provide public access to its buildings or facilities if such access could impede or disrupt the performance of official duties by government employees or potentially be harmful to the national security.
Section 4. Consultation. Executive departments and agencies shall consult with the Department of Justice and the General Services Administration in carrying out the purposes of this memorandum.
Section 5. Judicial Review. This memorandum is intended only to improve the internal management of the Federal Government, and is not intended, and should not be construed, to create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law by a party against the United States, its agencies, its officers, or its employees.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON