MAY 7, 2008 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Law Enforcement Agency Directors (LEAD) of Western Pennsylvania, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the United States Postal Service, the Western Pennsylvania Crimes Against Children Task Force (CACTF), and the Pittsburgh Police Historical Association have scheduled their annual "Child Safety Day" to draw attention to this year's National Missing Children's Day and to ensure that parents and guardians are provided with the latest methods and information to better protect children from predators.

"Child Safety Day" takes place at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 11, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  Free packets of information on how to protect children from predators and general safety procedures will be provided at the Entrance Plaza, before the admission stations.  Law enforcement representatives from LEAD and CACTF will be stationed inside the Zoo, at the National City Bank Pavilion, to fingerprint and photograph children free of charge as a safety precaution in the event of a child's abduction.  Zoo admission fees are waived for every mother accompanied by one or more of her children on Mother's Day. More than 3,500 families visited the zoo on Mother's Day 2007.

In the event of a missing child, law enforcement quickly needs to obtain a current photograph and identifying information in order to locate and safely return the missing child.  On Child Safety Day, LEAD and CACTF volunteers will be providing free methods for a parent/guardian to store vital information like pictures, medical information, fingerprints, emergency contacts and descriptive data of a child.  No data is kept by law enforcement.

Child Safety Day focuses attention on National Missing Children's Day, Sunday, May 25th, 2008. National Missing Children's Day was established in honor of six-year-old Etan Patz, who disappeared on May 25, 1979, while on his way to school in New York City. Patz's disappearance attracted widespread attention, but the case remains unsolved. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25th National Missing Children's Day as a day of remembrance for Patz and others like him.

LEAD is composed of the following law enforcement agencies and their representatives: U.S. Attorney's Office - Western District of PA; U. S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Air Marshal Service; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration; U.S. Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General; Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland; U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; IRS - Criminal Division; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General; Pennsylvania State Police; Transit Police, Port Authority of Allegheny County; Allegheny County Police Department; Allegheny County District Attorney's Office; Allegheny County Sheriff's Office; and the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.