About Patty Wetterling

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About Patty Wetterling

Patty Wetterling has been fighting for safer American families since the abduction of her son Jacob sixteen years ago. Since then, Patty has become one of the nation's most respected and effective child advocates.

As a private citizen, she worked across party lines, passing more legislation than many members of Congress. Patty was instrumental in the passage of the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Sex Offender Registration Act on both the state and federal level. Additionally, Patty helped initiate and pass Community Notification (Megan’s Law) and the launch of the Amber Alert system in Minnesota.

Patty has used her expertise in the issues of child exploitation and abduction to educate and raise awareness among law enforcement officials, parents, and community leaders. Patty has given presentations to FBI Agents at the FBI Academy in Quantico and police officers around the country on preventing and responding to child abduction and abuse cases.

In her career as a child advocate, Patty has received numerous awards from local, state, and nonprofit organizations including: the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s "100 Most Influential Minnesotans of the Century" award; the President’s Award from the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association; the Governor’s Award in Minnesota for Unique Individuals for providing Community Leadership; and the "First Alert Award" by Larry King of CNN.

Patty is a secondary school math teacher by training. She and her husband Jerry live in St. Joseph, Minnesota, where they built his local chiropractic practice. They have four children: Amy, Jacob, Trevor and Carmen. Their first grandchild, Lili, was born in September 2004.

• Patty was a consultant with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Fox Valley Technical College in Wisconsin.
• She presented a victim impact session to CEOs at the Jimmy Ryce Training Center and law enforcement training programs across the country (REMAC). She has also been instrumental in establishing a national parent support group (Team H.O.P.E.) for families of missing children.
• Patty co-authored the book, "When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide," along with four other families. She spoke on behalf of victim families at President Bush's White House Summit Conference on Missing and Exploited Children in October 2002.
• Patty was instrumental in the passage of the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Sex Offender Registration Act on the state level as well as part of the 1994 Federal Crime Bill. Patty is grateful to Congressman Jim Ramstad and Senator Dave Durenburger for their sponsoring this legislation in Congress.
• Additionally, Patty helped intitiate the Community Notification (Megan's Law) and the statewide launch of the Amber Plan in Minnesota.
• In June 2003, Patty was invited to the Rose Garden at the White house by President and First Lady Bush to witness the AMBER Plan's signing into national law.

Patty has received numerous awards for her work to make this world safer for our children, including:

• Patty was selected by the Minneapolis Star Tribune as one of the "100 Most Influential Minnesotans of the Century".
• In 2003, Patty was honored with the President's Award from the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association.
• In 2002, she earned the Governor's Award in Minnesota for Unique Individuals for providing Community Leadership.
• She has received a variety of awards including "Eleven Who Care" sponsored by KARE 11-TV in Minneapolis.
• In addition, she has received several honors from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, including "10th Anniversary Award", "The Rainbow Award" and the "The Vision Award".
• In 1996, Patty was selected as a Community Hero Torch Bearer for the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
• She was awarded the First Alert Award by Larry King of CNN.
• Patty continues to serve on the Board of Directors for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
• She is also a founding member and past president of the Board of Directors of the Association of Missing and Exploited Children's Organizations (AMECO) and the Program Director and co-founder for Team H.O.P.E.
• She is a co-founder and past board member of the Jacob Wetterling Foundation.

"I believe with every fiber of my being that we can build an America that truly cares for all of her citizens. We need to maximize the potential of our youth, recognizing that investing in our children and grandchildren is an issue of national security. We can, and we must, do better."