Child Safety Event Prepares Parents
31 May 2009
The Rolling Hills Auto Plaza, 1607 N. Belt Highway, sponsored the DNA LifePrint Child Safety Event, endorsed by "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh. The purpose of the program is to provide parents with tools recommended by the FBI and the Department of Justice to locate a missing child.
From 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., parents had the opportunity to receive a child safety journal and a DNA kit, all for free. The kids were fingerprinted and got their pictures taken, but no databasing took place during Saturday's event.
The safety journal included the photo and fingerprints, and the DNA kit included detailed instructions on how to use it at home.
This would allow children's fingerprints to be immediately submitted into the FBI database as soon as they are reported missing. Once the fingerprints are entered, the data is available to all enforcement agencies throughout the United States.
Michael Williams, general manager at Rolling Hills Auto Plaza, said this is the first time DNA LifePrint has been to St. Joseph. He said parents arrived as early as an hour before the event, and 47 families had been counted by 11:30 a.m.
"I expect several hundred people," Mr. Williams said.
By the end of the day, a total of 82 families had taken part. Mr. Williams estimates there were three to four people per family. Sgt. Richard Ketchem of the St. Joseph Police Department said he believes each kit would be a useful tool in the event that a child goes missing.
"It's pre-planned, it's already there," Mr. Ketchem said. "It helps us get things taken care of a lot faster."
Parents seemed to appreciate this free service. "It's a tool we hope we never have to use," Jenny Miller, a mother, said.
Mary Garvey said it is comforting to know that this service is available. "I just think it's wonderful, that it's a free service to us," Mrs. Garvey said.
Child safety experts and law enforcement officials recommend the information be updated every six months.
