OJP Observes National Police Week and Missing Children's Day in May

Regina B. Schofield, May 2007

During the week of May 13-19, the Office of Justice Programs joins its law enforcement partners across the country in commemorating National Police Week. Every year since 1962, our nation has set aside these seven days—and May 15, National Peace Officers Memorial Day, in particular—to remember the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting America’s citizens and communities. We are proud to be part of this remembrance.

We are proud, too, of the close partnerships we have formed with law enforcement agencies nationwide, particularly as we work to protect children. At our annual Missing Children’s Day ceremony on May 18, we will honor several officers for their heroic efforts in pursuing child predators and rescuing children from danger. These officers have demonstrated extraordinary determination, diligence, and ingenuity on behalf of the safety of our young people.

They are people like Detective Kevin Wiens of the Fresno County, California Sheriff’s Department and Special Agent Mike Prado of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who were recognized at last year’s ceremony. Working together, Detective Wiens and Special Agent Prado traced a string of pornographic e-mails to a child molester, then discovered through investigative persistence that tens of thousands of pornographic images had been distributed by the owner of a toy store. The two officers were able to obtain confessions from both the molester and the distributor and put an end to the illicit and violent practices of pedophiles.

This dedication and resourcefulness are intrinsic to the nature of America’s law enforcement officers. So, too, are courage, self-sacrifice, and a single-minded commitment to the public good. This month, during National Police Week and on Missing Children’s Day, we pay these brave and dedicated individuals our highest respect, and we remember, with deepest gratitude, those whose watch has ended.