the national child protection task force
Relentless in the Search. Committed to Better Outcomes.
NCPTF exists because missing, exploited, and trafficked children deserve experts fighting for them. We partner with law enforcement to locate endangered children and uncover the circumstances that put them at risk.
Every case is different, but the goal remains the same: find the child, uncover the root cause, and ensure their safety beyond recovery.
What We Do
Our collaborative approach accelerates recoveries, helps to dismantle cycles of exploitation, and delivers lasting solutions for missing and endangered children.
Rapid Response Investigations
We provide 24/7 investigative support to law enforcement, combining cutting-edge technology, real-time intelligence, and the expertise of top investigative specialists. Anytime a child goes missing, NCPTF stands ready to take the call.
Collaboration That Changes Futures
We unite experts in law enforcement, cyber intelligence, and child protection to strengthen investigations, accelerate recoveries, and create lasting solutions for vulnerable kids and the communities that support them.
Beyond Rescue: Better Outcomes
Our work doesn’t stop when a child is found. We help communities identify patterns that lead to exploitation in order to strengthen local response networks and help vulnerable kids move from surviving to thriving.
Find – Listen – Help
the NCPTF STORY
In 2019, a group of volunteer investigators, prosecutors, cyber experts, and law enforcement officers came together with one goal: to help law enforcement locate missing children, faster. For years, NCPTF operated as a rapid-response team—supporting police, solving cases one at a time, and helping bring endangered children home.
But case after case, community after community, we saw the same patterns. Children weren’t just disappearing—they were being pulled toward danger or pushed away from safety. Finding them was only the first step. The real challenge was helping ensure they didn’t end up lost, unseen, and unprotected once again.
So in 2024, we expanded our mission.
Through Missing Child Rescue Operations, we help communities locate missing kids and work to uncover the push-and-pull factors that lead children out of their homes and into dangerous situations. We’re working alongside law enforcement and child protection professionals to strengthen response efforts and create better outcomes for our most vulnerable children.
We don’t just bridge gaps between agencies—we bring them together to create lasting solutions for real children.
We’re building a future where no child is overlooked. Join us.
Our investigative volunteers are the heart of our mission, standing ready to answer the call anytime a child goes missing in America.
We leverage advanced investigative technology to support investigations in communities across the U.S.
Each one representing a child who needed expert support.
Every Child Deserves Protection.
Every missing child is endangered. Yet, too often, kids labeled as “runaways” are overlooked instead of protected, despite facing extreme risks of trafficking, exploitation, and violence.
Some children face increased risks of disappearing—including marginalized youth and LGBTQIA+ children, who are disproportionately vulnerable to trafficking, exploitation, & violence.
Children who are listened to, understood, and advocated for have better long-term outcomes. That’s why we work alongside law enforcement and child protection professionals to prioritize each child’s safety and ensure they are found, protected, and connected to resources that meet their unique needs.
NCPTF does not engage in political debates. We are here to protect all children.
Here to protect children
Harnessing technology for good
Predators use technology to exploit children–We use it to Locate Them Rapidly.
We use cutting-edge technologies (like facial recognition & breached data)Â ethically and responsibly to help locate missing children faster.
Every case is handled with child safety and privacy as the top priority.
Time matters. In cases that might take months to solve, this technology allows us to equip law enforcement with actionable leads in real time.
The right data, in the right hands, can be life-saving.
Our approach is always legal, ethical, and focused on child protection.
Thanks to Missing Child Rescue Operations (like the one that helped locate 47 missing endangered children in Buffalo, New York) the NCPTF is making a bigger impact than ever before–but we can’t do this work without your help.