New Jersey Statutes Title 52. State Government, Departments and Officers 52 § 17B-9.6

The Legislature finds that more than 10,000 “missing persons” reports are filed in New Jersey each year and that hundreds of individual reports are turned into local police departments each week, and that the local police departments have neither the resources nor the experience to carry out a thorough missing persons investigation.  The Legislature further finds that, without the expertise developed by experienced missing persons investigators, authorities may inadvertently pass over a report in which the missing person has actually been kidnapped or has met foul play.  Federal and State law enforcement officials have recommended that missing persons cases in New Jersey could be better handled by a Statewide effort specializing in this matter.