To locate a missing child in the state of Nebraska requires local law enforcement, criminal justice and private agencies to join forces. The Nebraska State Patrol unit known as the Missing Persons Clearinghouse, serves as a central repository for information on missing persons to include missing children. The information is collected and disseminated to assist law enforcement agencies, public and private organizations and the citizens of Nebraska in locating missing persons. Also an important collaboration in the search for missing children is Nebraska's Amber Alert program, which is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies and broadcasters to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child abduction cases. The Nebraska State Patrol is also responsible for an Internet Crimes Against Children program in Nebraska. This important unit is part of a federal program which provides Nebraska and local law enforcement agencies the tools to conduct investigations to protect children from crimes involving the Internet. However, the internet also plays an extremely valuable role by providing both national and statewide search databases, websites which offer lists, photos, and details of children currently missing in Nebraska, and many resources and referrals for families dealing with a missing child.
