Gotbaum Distributes Child ID Kits and Calls for Expanded Program to Address the Issue of Missing Children

New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum visited a Head Start program in Harlem today to distribute child ID kits to the participants. She also discussed the issue of missing children in the city and called upon the City and State to increase efforts to fingerprint children.

"Every year in New York City alone, 5,000 children go missing. The identification kits I am providing the children are a vital tool for parents and law enforcement officials should they be in the unfortunate situation of needing to find a missing child," said New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum .

"All parents and guardians in New York City should be provided these kits for their children," added Gotbaum.

Each kit contains an inkless fingerprint kit, a laminated wallet card, and a DNA collection envelope. Included in the kit is a form on which parents can provide recent photos, physical descriptions of their children, and information regarding the location of medical and dental records.

The kits are produced by the National Child Identification Program, which is a partnership of the American Football Coaches Association and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

More than 10 million children have been protected nationwide thru the ID program, and the ultimate goal of the National Child Identification Program is to have 60 million children fingerprinted.

Noting a statewide initiative on child identification that is to be implemented in New York City later this summer, Gotbaum called on the City and State to continually work toward getting as many children as possible fingerprinted.

 

 

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