Dudley Police Dept. and Dudley middle and elementary schools to host Take 25 child safety progam.

In observance of National Missing Children's Day

Dudley Police Department press release: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC), in partnership with The Dudley Police Department and The Dudley Middle and Elementary Schools, will be observing National Missing Children’s Day this year by participating in the national Take 25 child safety campaign.

May 25 has been observed as National Missing Children’s Day since it was first established in 1983. National Missing Children’s Day serves as an annual reminder that there are thousands of children who are still missing and stresses the importance of making child protection a national priority. The Take 25 campaign is a national child safety public awareness campaign created in 2007 by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The campaign encourages parents to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety and ways to prevent abduction. The campaign begins on May 1 and continues through May 25 every year in communities throughout the country.  “We know that teaching children about safety works. Community events play an important role in helping parents understand how they can help save a child’s life,” said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of NCMEC. “We are very grateful to our local partners who share our interest in keeping children safe. They play an important role in raising public awareness in communities throughout America.”

As part of the program in Dudley, every Student, in grades Kindergarten through Eighth will be given information to take home on Friday, May 25th. The documents include “Conversation Starters” which contain several age specific questions parents can use to begin this important discussion.  The hope is these questions will lead to further dialogue about topics and issues which relate to each family’s specific situation.  The goal is for parents and children to take at least 25 minutes of their time to talk about safety and ways to prevent abduction.  This is a great opportunity for parents to have this meaningful discussion with their child.

Every year in America, an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing, more than 2,000 each day. Of that number, 200,000 are abducted by family members and 58,000 are abducted by non-family members, for which the primary motive is sexual.  Each year, 115 children are the victims of the most serious abductions; they are taken by non-family members and either murdered, ransomed, or taken with the intent to keep.  An analysis of attempted abduction cases by NCMEC found that in 84% of the cases, the child escaped would-be abductors through their own actions. Teaching children about safety works.  It saves lives.

The Dudley Police Department is excited to begin this partnership with the local schools and the National Center for Missing and Exploited children to promote Take 25 in Dudley. Thanks go out to Superintendent Sean Gilrein, and Middle and Elementary School Principals Greg Desto, Terri Caffelle, and Theodora Dono (as well as their staffs) for all their assistance in promoting this program.  If there are any questions, please feel free to contact Dudley Police Chief Steve Wojnar at 508-949-8023 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Additional information may also be found at www.take25.org.