Governor Announces Launch of "Operation Safe Child" to Raise Awareness about Child safety in NYS

Governor Announces Launch of “Operation Safe Child” to Raise Awareness About Child Safety in NYS

Child ID Machines Will Be in 17 IMPACT Counties, Additional Locations, By the Fall

Governor George E. Pataki today announced the launch of Operation SAFE CHILD - a new initiative that will raise awareness about child safety and make the current Child ID system more readily available to parents throughout New York State.

Under the new initiative and through an historic partnership with the New York State Police, New York State Sheriffs' Association and New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, the Division of Criminal Justice Services and its Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse will now provide Operation SAFE CHILD ID Cards to families across the State.

"Government's greatest responsibility is to keep our citizens safe and as parents and guardians we also have the responsibility to do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our children," Governor Pataki said. "We're proud to launch this new program, which will provide ID cards to children and their families, so that they can have up-to-date photographs and detailed information about their child ready at a moment's notice."

"When a child is missing, every second counts. Having basic biographical information and a recent photograph of a child at parents' fingertips can immediately assist law enforcement officials and be crucial to the success of finding a child quickly," the Governor added.

Lieutenant Governor Mary Donohue said, "Operation Child Safe will ensure that when a child is missing, we are armed with the up-to-date vital information needed to immediately begin the search. As a mother and a former teacher, I know how important it is to keep these records current and any assistance we can provide to parents and law enforcement will benefit all New Yorkers."

Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings said, "It is imperative that we use all of our resources to safeguard our children in every possible manner. Operation Safe Child provides our law enforcement with the most reliable, time efficient information when a child is missing. It is the most important aspect in bring a child home safely. I commend Governor Pataki, The New York State Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse and all New York State Law Enforcement Agencies for doing everything they can to keep our children safe."

A high resolution image of the New York State Operation SAFE CHILD ID card can be found at http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/news.htm.

New York State will be committing $450,000 from donations received by the New York State Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse for the rollout of Operation SAFE CHILD. Beginning this summer, the Child ID program currently managed by the Division of Criminal Justice Services' Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse (MECC) will be expanded.

Child ID Program

Statistics show that 34 percent of parents in the United States do not know their child's exact height, weight and eye color. And, when a child is reported missing, time can be the greatest adversary. Possessing up-to-date photographs and detailed information about a child can prove to be important proactive measures that can greatly assist local law enforcement officials to quickly respond to a child's disappearance.

Beginning in late summer, DCJS will purchase and deploy 27 Child ID units to sites in Albany, Broome, Chautauqua, Clinton, Dutchess, Erie, Monroe, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Rensselaer, Rockland, Schenectady, Suffolk, Ulster and Westchester counties. These Child ID sites will be able to produce a SAFE CHILD ID card for parents or guardians.

Using equipment that contains the latest digital fingerprinting technology and high resolution photography capabilities, these 25 sites will be able to produce a SAFE CHILD ID Card for parents and guardians that will contain a child's name, biographical information (date of birth, gender, height, weight, hair color, eye color, etc.), and a fingerprint image of both index fingers. The card can be made in less than two minutes and can be easily carried in a wallet or pocketbook. In the event a child is missing, this card can be immediately presented to law enforcement officials and eliminate the wasted minutes that are often used to gather information rather than search for a missing child.

In addition to being able to quickly provide important details to police agencies investigating child disappearances, the New York State SAFE CHILD ID Card will serve as an important tool when used in conjunction with the NYS AMBER Alert and the NYS DCJS Missing Child Alert programs. These identification cards will allow essential missing child information to be electronically disseminated, statewide if necessary, within minutes and dramatically increase the possibility of bringing a missing child home unharmed.

The goal of this program is to record and store the fingerprints, basic biographical information and photographs of children who are not missing -- information critical to expediting the return of a missing child. Operation SAFE CHILD will be available to interested parents and families statewide and is entirely voluntary. The storage of information will require the written consent of a parent or legal guardian. The information gathered will be digitally recorded and stored at a separate database at DCJS. In the event DCJS receives a missing child report, the fingerprints of that child will be included in a special search file and compared against all incoming fingerprints submitted to DCJS. Once included in the database, parents or lawful guardians can request that information be purged at any time and, after a missing child turns 18, the fingerprints will be purged from the database.

Director of Criminal Justice Chauncey G. Parker said, "The initial stages of a missing child search can often make the difference between the child being quickly and safely returned home, and a scenario involving feelings of hopelessness and months or even years of stressful, unsolved investigation. These cards are invaluable tools, providing law enforcement with the assistance they need to locate missing children. Thanks to Governor Pataki and the thousands of New Yorkers that donate to this program every year, we have developed another initiative that will assist local law enforcement officials in keeping New York's children safe."

New York State Police Superintendent Wayne E. Bennett said, "The first few hours of any investigation into a missing child are extremely critical. This program will immediately provide the investigating agency with a photo as well as pedigree information on the missing individual - essential for timely dissemination to law enforcement and the general public. Time is of the essence and this program will save time ordinarily lost as such information is gathered through the normal interview process."

Peter Kehoe, Executive Director of the New York State Sheriffs' Association, said, "When a child goes missing, parents can often feel helpless. This program will empower parents to help law enforcement find missing children. Every minute it takes police to collect details about a missing child is lost time. Because time is the most critical factor in missing person cases, Operation SAFE CHILD will be immeasurably helpful in assisting law enforcement. Thank you, Governor Pataki, for empowering the parents of New York State to keep their children safe."

John Grebert, Executive Director of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, said, "New York State has made great strides in reducing violent crime over the last decade. However, recent events clearly show a threat to kids remains in the form of child predators. Operation SAFE CHILD adds another obstacle in the path of attacks on our State's children, and police chiefs across New York State are anxious to get the program started."

Elizabeth Norton-Baker, a parent whose children were abducted, said, "I know first hand how important this initiative is. When my children were abducted, I quickly contacted law enforcement and began circulating photos. Ultimately, it was the combination of a photo, the Internet and a wonderful woman who brought my children home nine months after they were abducted. This initiative will give New York State's parents the power to be much more proactive in keeping their children safe. Thank you, Governor Pataki, for giving parents this power."

Staff from the New York State Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse will be attending a number of outreach events this summer, including county fairs, to promote Operation SAFE CHILD. In addition, DCJS hopes to expand this initiative after the initial rollout in September to other local law enforcement agencies throughout the state.

New York State Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse

In addition to assisting local law enforcement agencies and families in searching for missing children and college students, MECC develops child safety literature and programs, and serves as the State's central repository for information on missing children. MECC operates a 24-hour toll free information line, 1-800-FIND-KID, which gathers and disseminates missing child/sighting information to investigating law enforcement agencies. Educational information and brochures are available through the DCJS website at http://www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us.

The New York State Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse is partially funded through donations from concerned New Yorkers. 100 percent of every contribution is used to locate missing children and promote child safety. Contributions help the New York State Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse to provide direct assistance to parents, law enforcement officials and others when searching for missing and abducted children, support statewide dissemination of information and educational materials and offer advanced training for law enforcement officers in the area of missing, abducted and exploited children. Individuals interested in making a donation can either donate a small portion of their tax refund to the Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse through the tax check off program, or, directly send contributions to: The New York State DCJS Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse, 4 Tower Place, Albany, NY 12203.

In addition to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' Office in Albany, 24 other locations will act as Operation SAFE CHILD ID Sites:

Albany County Sheriff's Department
Albany Police Department
Broome County Sheriff's Office
Buffalo Police Department
Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office
Clinton County Sheriff's Department
Dutchess County Sheriff's Office
Erie County Sheriff's Office Monroe County Sheriff's Office
Nassau County Police Department
Nassau County Sheriff's Department
New York State Police
Niagara County Sheriff's Office
Oneida County Sheriff's Office
Onondaga County Sheriff's Office
Orange County Sheriff's Office
Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office
Rochester Police Department
Rockland County Sheriff's Office
Schenectady County Sheriff's Office
Suffolk County Police Department
Suffolk County Sheriff's Office
Syracuse Police Department
Ulster County Sheriff's Office
Westchester County Department of Public Safety