Scan the QR code in the photo above with your phone, and you’ll see photos of missing children in a 50-mile radius of where you are right now.
It has the potential to revolutionize the way we search for missing kids.
In the nearly 40 years since the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) was founded, we’ve helped law enforcement recover more than 400,000 missing children. Photos have consistently been the most powerful tool we have to bring them home. But what has changed is how quickly we can get those photos of missing children to people in the best position to help find them.
From the early days of putting children’s photos on milk cartons, technology has continually evolved to help us distribute literally billions of photos faster and faster – using emails, billboards, mobile devices, social media, and even gas station TVs. We can geo-target posters to specific areas where a child went missing or is believed to be now. But the QR code could usher in a whole new era. Now we’re talking a matter of seconds – and not just one child at a time.
“Instead of sharing one missing child poster, this will allow the public to view all missing children in their immediate area, whether they’re at home, visiting friends, or on vacation,” said John Bischoff, who oversees our Missing Children Division. “More images will be seen, and, hopefully, more children will be found quickly.”
