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ADAM missing children program celebrates 20 years

To date, the program has helped recover nearly 200 missing children by distributing photos across law enforcement, news and medical organizations

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By Police1 Staff

WASHINGTON, DC and ATLANTA — LexisNexis Risk Solutions last week announced the 20th anniversary of the ADAM (Automated Delivery of Alerts on Missing Children) Program. The ADAM program is part of its longstanding partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

The program, named for Adam Walsh – who went missing in 1981 and is the son of NCMEC founders John and Revé Walsh – was designed and developed by LexisNexis Risk Solutions and donated to NCMEC in 2000, according to the release.

The ADAM program sends posters with photos and information about missing children across targeted areas, sending alerts to recipients – like members of law enforcement, news media, schools, businesses and medical centers – in a specific search area within minutes. The program has helped recover nearly 200 missing children and assisted in the recovery efforts of countless others, the release said.

“Photos remain the single most powerful tool for finding a missing child. Getting photos and detailed information in front of people, quickly, is a big part of what makes this program such a success. The ADAM Program has truly helped change the way our nation searches for missing children,” said Callahan Walsh, of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, in a statement. “LexisNexis saw a need and stepped in a big way to find a solution. Without their continued support over the past twenty years, we would not be where we are today, and we are grateful to our partners at LexisNexis Risk Solutions.”

“I have had the privilege of being part of the creation and development of this program since the beginning,” said Trish McCall, director, Program Management at LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Co-Founder of the ADAM Program. “Through the years, together with my counterparts at NCMEC, I have also shared in the joy each and every time this program has helped recover a missing child. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped make this program a success through its first 20 years and continue to look for ways to increase awareness and extend the reach of the ADAM Program.”

NEXT: How the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children battles child abuse and exploitation

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