The Fraternal Order of Police Supports Child Safety Campaign

Since 2007, the Fraternal Order of Police has partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) on the Take 25 campaign, a grassroots initiative aimed at heightening awareness about children’s safety issues. With a focus on prevention, Take 25 encourages parents, guardians, and other trusted adult role models to spend time talking to kids and teaching them ways to stay safer.

Take 25 was created in commemoration of National Missing Children’s Day, which is annually honored on May 25th. First proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, this day serves as a reminder to the nation to renew efforts to reunite missing children with their families, remember those who are still missing, and make child protection a national priority. It’s a time of reflection and renewed hope for millions of families in communities across the country.

Since it was launched in 2007, the Take 25 Campaign has grown exponentially with support from local and national organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police. In fact, more than 3,500 events were hosted across 1,386 cities in 2010. And life-saving information was distributed to thousands of children and families—more than 1.8 million pieces of information in all!

Why Is Take 25 Important?

A 2003 study conducted by RoperASW, a leading market research firm, surveyed a group of over 1,000 parents and grandparents. The study’s results indicate the need for increased parental education: half of parents and grandparents consider child abduction and sexual exploitation to be a “very big” problem. When asked to grade themselves on how well they address the issues surrounding personal safety with their children, both parents and grandparents grade themselves as a ”B-,” conceding they need improvement.

How Can I Become Involved?

Each Take 25 event organizer receives an outreach kit which includes a campaign overview, sample outreach documents, event planning resources, and other materials that can be distributed at each event.

Join this grassroots movement and help keep our nation's children safe! To learn more about Take 25 or to register an event, please contact Chantay Carter at (703) 837-6448 or CCarter@NCMEC.ORG or visit www.take25.org. To learn more about the FOP's involvement, please contact Grace Lynch at (202) 547-8189 or glynch@fop.net.

Additional Resources