In honor of Justin, please consider signing these petitions to pass the
Kelsey Smith Act and Kristen's Act!
This act would require a provider of a commercial mobile service or an
IP-enabled voice service to provide call location information concerning
their users to law enforcement during emergency situations,
including missing person investigations!
http://www.change.org/petitions/help-law-enforcement-save-missing-persons-support-the-kelsey-smith-act#?opt_new=t
Urge the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate and President Obama to pass the Kelsey Smith Act! Click the link above to sign the petition! Please read more about the Kelsey Smith Act below.
I have also included below a copy of the letter (to President Obama, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives) that will be sent as a result of you signing the petition above. Thank you!
Who was Kelsey Smith? On June 2, 2007, Kelsey Smith was an eighteen year old young woman, from Overland, Kansas, was abducted in broad day light, from a local Target department store. The surveillance video from Target showed Kelsey, purchasing a gift for her boyfriend to celebrate their six-month anniversary. After that she left the store and then disappeared. About three hours, after Kelsey was abducted, her car was found in the mall parking lot, and her family and friends and the police began to search for her. An hour after Kelsey was abducted; a signal from her cell phone was picked up. When law enforcement officials asked Verizon for the "ping" records that would pinpoint her location via cell phone, the family's cell phone company did not hand those records over, until three and a half days later. When the Verizon did turn over the records, it took authorities 45 minutes to locate Kelsey's body. However, she was founded dead, after being raped and murdered.
What is the Kelsey Smith Act? The Kelsey Smith Act would, require that wireless phone companies immediately respond to law enforcement requests for location information of victims who are in jeopardy of death or serious physical harm. Also the Kelsey Smith Act would aid more responsive coordination between law enforcement agencies and wireless cell phone carriers during emergencies involving missing persons. Under the Kelsey Smith Act it would "amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require a provider of a commercial mobile service or an IP-enabled voice service to provide call location information concerning the user of such a service to law enforcement agencies in order to respond to a call for emergency services or in an emergency situation that involves risk of death or serious physical harm."
It would also direct "the Attorney General, under the Byrne Law Enforcement Grant Program, to: (1) provide education and training to state and local law enforcement agencies and officials to collect and use call location information in emergency situations; and (2) develop and disseminate procedures to ensure that such agencies and officials have the necessary contact information to request and obtain call location information."
By passing the Kelsey Smith Act, lives can be saved. When a person has been abducted, or in an emergency situation, it is vital that law enforcements act quickly, which is why law enforcements need wireless carriers to cooperate with them in emergency situations.
What can you do to get the Kelsey Smith Act passed?
Please write to and/or call your U.S. Representatives and Senators and President Obama tell them to pass Kelsey Smith Act in the 112th congress. Also ask your U.S. Representatives and Senators to co-sponsor the Healthy Media For Youth Act. Also, please sign the petition by clicking this link:
http://www.change.org/petitions/help-law-enforcement-save-missing-persons-support-the-kelsey-smith-act#?opt_new=t
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The following is the letter (to President Obama, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives) that will be sent as a result of you signing the petition above:
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PETITION LETTER
Kelsey Smith Act
Dear President Obama, the United States Senate, and the United States House of Representatives;
On June 2, 2007, an eighteen year old young woman, named Kelsey Smith was abducted in broad day light, from a local Target department store in Overland, Kansas,. The surveillance video from Target showed Kelsey, purchasing a gift for her boyfriend to celebrate their six-month anniversary. After that she left the store and then disappeared. About three hours, after Kelsey was abducted, her car was found in the mall parking lot, and her family and friends and the police began to search for her.
An hour after Kelsey was abducted; a signal from her cell phone was picked up. When law enforcement officials asked Verizon for the “ping” records that would pinpoint her location via cell phone, the family’s cell phone company did not hand those records over, until three and a half days later. When the Verizon did turn over the records, it took authorities 45 minutes to locate Kelsey’s body. However, she was founded dead, after being raped and murdered.
However, Kelsey’s parents, Greg and Missey Smith are working to pass a piece of legislation in their daughter’s name called the Kelsey Smith Act. However, the Kelsey Smith Act would allow law enforcements would require that wireless phone companies immediately respond to law enforcement requests for location information in emergency situations.
However, the Kelsey Smith Act, would allow law enforcements would require that wireless phone companies immediately respond to law enforcement requests for location information in emergency situations.
Under the Kelsey Smith act it would “amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require a provider of a commercial mobile service or an IP-enabled voice service to provide call location information concerning the user of such a service to law enforcement agencies in order to respond to a call for emergency services or in an emergency situation that involves risk of death or serious physical harm.”
It would also direct “the Attorney General, under the Byrne Law Enforcement Grant Program, to: (1) provide education and training to state and local law enforcement agencies and officials to collect and use call location information in emergency situations; and (2) develop and disseminate procedures to ensure that such agencies and officials have the necessary contact information to request and obtain call location information.”
By passing the Kelsey Smith Act, lives can be saved. When a person has been abducted, or in an emergency situation, it is vital that law enforcements act quickly, which is why law enforcements need wireless carriers to cooperate with them in emergency situations.
I beg of you to please pass this important legislation.
Sincerely
[Your name]
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/silver_alert_kristens_act
The House of Representatives passed this in February, 2009. It still needs to be passed by the Senate though, which is why they need our help! Please help urge our Senate members to push this bill through! Please read below and consider signing the petition by clicking the link above. I have included the actual text of the bill and below that, a copy of the letter to your Senator that will be sent as a result of you signing the petition above. Thank you!
TITLE II--KRISTEN'S ACT REAUTHORIZATION
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as `Kristen's Act Reauthorization of 2009'.
SEC. 202. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Every year thousands of adults become missing due to advanced age, diminished mental capacity, or foul play. Often there is no information regarding the whereabouts of these adults and many of them are never reunited with their families.
(2) Missing adults are at great risk of both physical harm and sexual exploitation.
(3) In most cases, families and local law enforcement officials have neither the resources nor the expertise to undertake appropriate search efforts for a missing adult.
(4) The search for a missing adult requires cooperation and coordination among Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and assistance from distant communities where the adult may be located.
(5) Federal assistance is urgently needed to help with coordination among such agencies.
SEC. 203. GRANTS FOR THE ASSISTANCE OF ORGANIZATIONS TO FIND MISSING ADULTS.
(a) Grants-
(1) GRANT PROGRAM- Subject to the availability of appropriations to carry out this section, the Attorney General shall make competitive grants to public agencies or nonprofit private organizations, or combinations thereof, to--
(A) maintain a national resource center and information clearinghouse for missing and unidentified adults;
(B) maintain a national, interconnected database for the purpose of tracking missing adults who are determined by law enforcement to be endangered due to age, diminished mental capacity, or the circumstances of disappearance, when foul play is suspected or circumstances are unknown;
(C) coordinate public and private programs that locate or recover missing adults or reunite missing adults with their families;
(D) provide assistance and training to law enforcement agencies, State and local governments, elements of the criminal justice system, nonprofit organizations, and individuals in the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and treatment of cases involving missing adults;
(E) provide assistance to families in locating and recovering missing adults; and
(F) assist in public notification and victim advocacy related to missing adults.
(2) APPLICATIONS- The Attorney General shall periodically solicit applications for grants under this section by publishing a request for applications in the Federal Register and by posting such a request on the website of the Department of Justice.
(b) Other Duties- The Attorney General shall--
(1) coordinate programs relating to missing adults that are funded by the Federal Government; and
(2) encourage coordination between State and local law enforcement and public agencies and nonprofit private organizations receiving a grant pursuant to subsection (a).
SEC. 204. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2020.
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The following is the letter your Senator that will be sent as a result of you signing the petition above:
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PETITION LETTER
Kristen's Act
Dear Senators,
Please cosponsor S.557
Imagine your daughter went missing. Where would you turn? This depends on an arbitrary date. At age 17 and 364 days, the resources you have are tremendous. However, one day later, your child is an adult and America is not set up to look for 18 year old victims. The same is true for the elderly, a person with dementia will likely die of exposure before a missing persons case is opened because they too are an adult and the laws have not considered them.
I urge you to take action and support the National Silver Alert Act, S.557 to provide funding for non-profits to provide a national clearinghouse for adults that provides, emotional support and other assistance such as the coordination of volunteer searches, crisis centers, law enforcement training, prevention and personal safety information and public awareness. These important initiatives will also provide funding to establish a national alert system for seniors and funding to labs throughout the country to conduct DNA analysis.
Kristen's Act first passed in the 106th congress and can be referenced as H.R.2780 in the 106th congress and/or Public Law No: 106-468 and created the National Center for Missing Adults (www.missingadults.org) as the first clearinghouse for missing adults. S.557 includes the re-authorization of Kristen's Act, which has since expired leaving families of missing adults without hope. Please cosponsor S.557 then push it to the Senate floor for a vote.
I support Let's Bring Them Home and The National Center for Missing Adults. They have been the historical recipients of Kristen's Act grant money and have shown their ability to do great good with it. LBTH/NCMA has provided law enforcement training and support to the families of missing persons in addition to maintaining a national database and clearinghouse for missing adults. The lapse of grant money between the end of Kristen's Act funding and the yet to be passed Kristen's Act Reauthorization has crippled LBTH/NCMA and has been a detriment to missing persons, their families and the law enforcement agencies looking for them.
Thank you
[Your Name]