Ernie Allen Quotes (28 Quotes)

To eliminate the commercial viability of child pornography, we must stop the flow of money. To do that, we need the involvement of the world's leaders in the payments industry and the internet.

We're working on these one case at a time, doing old-fashioned gumshoe detective work. Every report we get, we have to treat as if it's potentially serious and the child is at risk.

Not only are we recovering more kids but we're hearing from more parents.

Every day, more than 2,000 children are reported missing to law enforcement, ... However, 1 in 6 six children featured in NCMEC's missing child poster distribution network are recovered because someone recognized the child and called authorities. The power of pictures can't be overstated.

What our people are hearing in the shelters is that folks are afraid to sleep because they're afraid a picture of their loved ones will be posted on the shelter's bulletin board and they don't want to miss it,

Our experience is that Wal-Mart is a company that cares about the community it serves and is willing to put itself on the line with major issues, not the least of which is bringing missing children home.

Many of today's pimps have gang ties, and they've moved from murder and robbery to pimping. There has been a trend of organized crime moving away from traditional commodities like drugs, tobacco, and arms, to kids, ... They are reusable, inexpensive, with a huge consumer market that is enormously profitable with next to no risk. Nobody cares. Nobody is looking for them. They are the forgotten.

This is more about reunification and repairing. But it's extremely urgent. If you're separated from your child in a supermarket or department store for 10 minutes, it's something you never forget. Here are parents who are separated from their children for three weeks and don't know where they are.

Some a very small percentage, we believe did not survive the storm. A larger number are kids who are probably with mom or dad or grandma, but other family members don't know where they are. We think they're safe, they just haven't been in touch with the rest of the family yet.

Our biggest hazard out here is packrats. We don't want brush piles to build, so we prune our trees every year near the house.

We want you to know that we recognize your hard work and compassion on behalf of the children and the families you have affected. We commend your commitment, determination and professional expertise.

I am hyper about not using numbers that exaggerate and inflame. Our message is we don't want you to live in fear but you have to be alert and aware.

It sends a message of hope to thousands of searching parents. We have not forgotten, and we're going to continue to look for their child.

We'll be using our forensic tools, imaging technology and our artists to help with the unidentified bodies, ... Our fear is that, as the waters decline, there are going to be thousands.

This is a massive problem, and the numbers are growing. We know there will not be a positive ending in some of these cases. We hope the number is as small as possible. Meanwhile, we're working under the assumption that these children are out there.

So many children in this situation were not able to tell us or social services who they are and where they lived and what their mom's name was.

We got a call from parents of a 7-year-old separated from her mother in the storm. We put the photos on the air and on our Web site, and the child's grandmother called and said, I have her.' That is a pretty good illustration of the kind of situation we'r

This is daunting. It's going to take some time, ... These kids are not missing in the traditional sense. The key to this is communication.

The trafficking in children for sex was once thought to be a problem beyond America's borders. But the FBI and the Justice Department have now started focusing intently on the issue--and what they've found is shocking. Thousands of young girls and boys are falling victim to violent pimps, who move them from state to state, which makes it a federal matter. The younger they are, the more they're worth on the street. There is a greater and greater demand for younger and younger kids, ... America doesn't look. People are shocked and horrified when they hear these girls' stories. They say, 'That doesn't happen here. It happens in Thailand. Or the Philippines.' But once you start shining a light on it, you find it everywhere.

News directors are first and foremost looking for news, ... So if you look at the recent cases that have gotten so much attention ... those children disappeared from their homes and their own beds. It is a scenario that absolutely terrifies every parent. Thus, it's news.

We recommend that parents take this seriously.

The people at the shelter had no idea whether the parents were alive or dead,

We believe that if we can take the profitability out of this business, we can save the lives of thousands of kids.

The vast majority of the cases in our judgment are what we would call 'fractured families,'

We're trying to mobilize the financial industry to choke off the money.

The Center for Missing and Exploited Children has learned a lot from the Katrina experience, ... We have people on the ground. We have offered our center and resources to the state of Texas ... There's a good clearinghouse in Austin (and) we have offered to assist them in any way we can...

People say it's crazy, but I don't think it is. If we can eliminate the credit-card use, the third-party payments, or any of the illegal mechanisms, we can make it a whole lot harder.

We provide the information first to law enforcement and then do reviews to see if they follow up. Otherwise, we send a cease-and-desist order to the method-of-payment services such as a credit-card company and try to engage banks and regulators.