It is the mission of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children program to provide a quick and effective response to all incidents of crimes against children. The first few hours after a child is abducted are critical, and that is why we established Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) Teams in October 2005.

CARD Teams are designed to deploy teams of experienced personnel to provide on-the-ground investigative, technical, and resource assistance to state and local law enforcement. CARD Teams consist of Violent Crimes Against Children investigators who have in-depth experience in child abduction cases. The nationwide CARD Team consists of more than 60 members, with five teams serving each region of the country. The teams work closely with FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit representatives, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime coordinators, and Child Exploitation Task Force members.

In addition to their unique expertise, CARD Teams are capable of quickly establishing an on-site command post to centralize investigative efforts and operations. Other assets they bring to the table include a new mapping tool to identify and locate registered sex offenders in the area, national and international lead coverage, and the Child Abduction Response Plan to guide investigative efforts.

CARD Teams are primarily involved in non-family child abductions, ransom child abductions, and mysterious disappearances of children. They work with state and local law enforcement to protect and save the lives of innocent children.