There were 211 missing people reported in the District in January; 190 of them eventually were found unharmed. That still left 21 missing - 10 of them teenage girls. Just in the past few days, more of them have been found unharmed. Police have not said how they were found or why they went missing, but the description of the girls given when they disappeared reflects a disturbing pattern: One was a 15-year-old who had been last seen Jan. 10 in the 700 block of M Street SE. She was black, 5 foot 5, 150 to 170 pounds and had black hair and brown eyes. Another was 16 and had been last seen Feb. 1 in the 4000 block of Livingston Road SE. She was black, 5 foot 7, 125 pounds and had black hair and brown eyes. There was a 14-year-old, last seen Feb. 2 in the 1300 block of Saratoga Avenue NE. She was black, 5 foot 5, 130 pounds and had black hair and brown eyes. Two other missing

black girls were 16 and 15. Black teenage girls, remarkably close in age and physical description, reported missing, then found. They may be among the lucky ones; so many disappear and are never heard from again. Chanel Dickerson, who recently became commander of the D.C. police's Youth and Family Services Division, said she was shocked by the number of missing children in the District. She said many of the cases involved runaways and she has pledged to publicize each case and provide equal service to all. The 211 people who went missing in January did not reflect an increase in cases, Dickerson said, just better reporting by the families. While that may be true, it is far from reassuring. Few believe that the children are being snatched off the street in mass, but they do think that the children are endangered. Sharece Crawford, a member of an Advisory Neighborhood Commission in Southeast Washington, said she believed that more black girls were getting involved with gangs and also being forced into prostitution.