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Press
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ADT-SPONSORED CODE ADAM PROGRAM HELPS REUNITE PARENTS WITH LOST
CHILDREN DURING HECTIC HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON
Country’s Largest Child-Safety Program Attracting More Participants
BOCA RATON, FL -- (December 20, 2005) -- You are fighting
the holiday crowds at a busy shopping mall when you look down to find
that your 4-year-old, who has been at your side all morning, is missing.
Even just a few seconds of separation in a store or shopping mall can
put a child in harm’s way – and throw the calmest parent into
a panic. Holiday shopping crowds make keeping track of a young child that
much more difficult.
A growing number of retailers are taking steps to increase the odds of
a speedy parent/child reunion. These retailers are participating in the
Code Adam program offered by the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children (NCMEC) and sponsored by ADT Security Services, Inc. Code Adam
is one of the country's largest child-safety programs and is named in
memory of 6-year-old Adam Walsh, who was abducted from a Florida shopping
mall and murdered in 1981.
The Code Adam program is a simple, effective training program for retail
personnel. When a customer reports a missing child to a store employee,
a "Code Adam" alert is announced over the public-address system.
A brief description of the child is obtained and provided to designated
employees, who immediately stop their normal work to search for the child
and monitor all exits to help prevent the child from leaving the store.
If the child is not found within 10 minutes of initiating a storewide
search, or if the child is seen accompanied by someone other than a parent,
guardian, or trusted adult, store personnel contact local law enforcement
and request assistance.
“This program is a powerful tool in the fight against child abduction
and has been used in more than 53,000 establishments,” said Jamie
Haenggi, vice president of Commercial Marketing for ADT. “As a company
involved in securing both businesses and homes, our support of this program
is part of our commitment to providing safer communities for everyone.”
The Code Adam program was created and promoted by the Wal-Mart® retail
stores in 1994. Since that time the program has been offered to other
retailers and establishments open to the public. Other participants in
the program include Best Buy, Circuit City, J.C. Penney, Gap, Home Depot
and Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse. In the past year, the program
has grown significantly -- with more than 9,000 establishments nationwide
signing up to participate.
“Parents and guardians should look for the blue and white “Code
Adam” sticker prominently displayed on the front door of a store
or other establishment,” said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of
NCMEC. “The Code Adam program has been very successful in making
sure that the case of a missing child is taken seriously and acted on
immediately and in a uniform fashion.”
For more information about child safety or a free copy of NCMEC’s
publication “Know the Rules: Safety Tips for the Holidays,”
call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or visit www.missingkids.com.
About NCMEC
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation
with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting
mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 350,000
leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement
with more than 111,000 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery
of more than 96,900 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its
toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or visit
its web site at www.missingkids.com.
About ADT Security Services
Celebrating its 131st anniversary, ADT Security Services, Inc., a unit
of Tyco Fire & Security, is the largest provider of electronic security
services to more than six million commercial, government and residential
customers throughout North America. ADT's total security solutions include
intrusion, fire protection, closed circuit television, access control,
critical condition monitoring, electronic article surveillance, radio
frequency identification (RFID) and integrated systems. ADT's web site
address is www.adt.com.
CONTACT:
Communications Department
NCMEC
703-837-6111
media@ncmec.org
Ann Lindstrom
ADT Security Services, Inc.
561-988-3258
561-289-0259
alindstrom@adt.com
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