NCMEC is unique. It is the only nonprofit organization with access to the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person, Wanted Person and Unidentified Person Files; the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS); and the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS).

It is the only organization operating a 24-hour toll-free hotline for the recovery of missing children in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice. It is the only organization operating a 24-hour toll-free child pornography tipline in cooperation with the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

It is the only organization to handle, for the U.S. Department of State, the applications seeking return of or access to children abducted to the U.S. under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

Since 1984, NCMEC has handled more than 2.3 million calls through its national Hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST; trained approximately 235,000 police and other professionals; and disseminated over 40 million free information publications.

NCMEC has worked with law enforcement on 138,600 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 128,000 children.