National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Part of the 300-member National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) family, the 64-member Team Adam provides rapid, on-site assistance to law enforcement agencies and families in cases of missing, abducted, and sexually exploited children. Its members are retired law enforcement professionals with years of investigative experience at the federal, state, and local levels. Team members deploy to sites where investigations are initiated, providing on-the-ground technical assistance and connecting local law enforcement with a national network of resources. The team’s mission is to improve the odds of recovering missing or abducted children by responding quickly.

The Washington Field Office’s Crimes Against Children squad works closely with NCMEC in their daily efforts to protect children exploited by predators, pornographers, and other criminals. Team Adam also offers on-site guidance and expertise in pursuing child exploitation investigations, as well as assistance to victims and families. Team Adam provides these services free of charge.

Since its inception in 2003, Team Adam has deployed personnel to support 450 investigations. To date, more than 500 children have been located. Because no child is forgotten, team members continue to assist in the search of 38 children who are still missing.

As is often said, time is the enemy in the case of a missing child. This award recognizes Team Adam’s effort to provide expert citizen assistance to law enforcement.