Read your local newspaper or watch the evening news and chances are there is a story about a missing child. Nobody expects their child to disappear or become a victim of a crime, but it happens more times than you probably care to imagine.

According to the Justice Department more than 2,000 children are reported missing everyday. Besides praying for your child's safe return, parents can help law enforcement authorities by keeping updated photos of your child. These photos can make a huge difference in case of an emergency.

Here are some tips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Childrens's website:

• Make sure the photos are in color and the background is solid (like school pictures)
• The target area of the photo is from the top of the head to the shoulders
• Keep the photo on a disk, carry a photo on a travel drive and keep a hard copy
• Know your child's height, weight, hair color and remember their outfit
• Update the photo every six months
• Make sure photo is accessible, but not on a public data base

For more information visit www.ncmec.org

Take Immediate Action, If Your Child Is Missing

• Check your child’s favorite hiding places first, then call the police immediately.
• If your child disappears in a store, notify the store manager, security and call police.
• When you call law enforcement, provide your child’s name, date of birth, height, weight and any other unique identifiers such as eyeglasses and braces.
• Inform police of the time when you noticed your child was missing.
• Request that your child's name and identifying information is immediately entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person File.
• After you have reported your child missing to law enforcement, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on our toll-free telephone number, 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).