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"You'd be surprised how many times we go to a parent and ask them, 'give us a good picture of your child so we can get it on the news or we can get it distributed out,' and they don't have a clear picture, the child is not by himself, and it's not recent. Sometimes as much as five years old, and on an eight year old that's a lot of difference. They need to have current pictures of these kids."
- Sgt. Judy, Dallas Police Dept., Spectrum, Channel 5 News
"'There are so many families that don't even have pictures of their kids, much less recent ones. They don't have their exact height or weight measurements. You've got to think about keeping things like that,' said Detective Larry Hanna, another investigator in the missing persons unit."
- "Parents Warned to be Prepared," Las Vegas Review-Journal/Sun
Proper child I.D. works. So, parents and guardians should carry an I.D. card for each one of their children in their wallets. Then if you think that your child is missing or lost, you can respond immediately by handing the I.D. card over to authorities on the spot. This speeds up the search for the lost child immeasurably. Authorities agree that the faster you act, the faster you'll find your child.
It is well documented by police that when a child is lost it is very difficult for emotionally distraught parents to think clearly and remember the correct actions to take. At a time like this, it is sometimes impossible for even loving parents to correctly describe their child, let alone remember the steps to take to find him. "He's about three feet tall. He has blond hair . . . no, well . . . it used to be blond . . . it's more toward light brown now . . ." Imagine how many little boys or girls might fit a verbal description of your child in a mall on a Saturday afternoon! The following story illustrates this point:
"I was feeling very stressed and had a real fear of not knowing what happened to my daughter, and these feelings made it hard to remember and to relay to the police many of her important characteristics. Angela's Yello Dyno I.D. card helped speak for me because it contained all her vital information and special identifying features. With the help of the I.D. card, which I kept in my wallet, the police were able to help find my daughter quickly."Moreover, when we are frightened or panicky our body jumps into the "fight or flight response." Large amounts of adrenaline are dumped into our bloodstream. Many of our functions slow down or even shut down so that we can focus on exactly what we need to do to respond to the emergency. In these situations, we tend to develop "tunnel vision," where we can lose sight of everything but the emergency at hand. In the case of a lost child all of our signals are shouting, "Find my child!" What parent wants to try and remember the proper emergency procedures, or to stand at a counter and struggle to identify his child to security officers at a time like this?
- Parent, New Castle, DE
Proper child identification is critical at this moment. But what is proper child I.D.? Few parents know that answer and many security professionals have never really thought it through. Since showing concern for missing children gains media attention and reflects community concern, I.D.s are often used as promotional items. Offering the I.D. makes the sponsor look good, but too often little attention is given to the function, content, and quality of the I.D. As Yello Dyno has experienced many times, parents may at some time really need to use these I.D.s! That is why it's important to make sure that the I.D. card contains all of the necessary information in a format that is useful at the time of the crisis.
Yello Dyno has conducted extensive research over the years, including talking to law enforcement officials and investigators who work to find missing children, to establish what makes a child I.D. valuable. Three crucial points arose from the research: 1. the I.D. information must be with parents at the moment that their child is lost, that's why the laminated, wallet-sized I.D. cards are the best; 2. the I.D. card must contain the specific information that security or law enforcement officers need, presented in a specific format; 3. the card should contain emergency instructions for the parent which help them do the right thing in a high-stress situation, when it is difficult to think clearly. Many child I.D. products are not complete and may give parents a false sense of security. Furthermore, most I.D. products are not true immediate response child I.D.s. Most, such as "passport" type I.D. kits or police home record files, are stored at home and, therefore, are generally only useful when a child is missing for a longer time.
To respond quickly to a missing child, law enforcement officers need the I.D. card to contain certain vital information. Most important is a color photograph of your child and your child's physical description. They also need your child's birth date, key physical identifiers, medical emergency information, and parent or guardian information. Surprisingly, the nickname can also be essential, because a child under seven will often not answer to his or her formal name when lost or under stress. A good fingerprint can also be helpful if you do not have a full set of fingerprints filed at home.
In some cases, parents like to provide their children with proper I.D. to carry on school field trips or other group outings. If they are lost, injured, or become ill while away from home, law enforcement or security officers will have key information to help them. However, when children carry an I.D. the identifying information should never be visible or easily accessible to others. As previously mentioned, child abductors have been known to use information such as the child's name or address to gain access to them. If your child is going on a school trip or on an outing with friends, parents can pin an I.D. card to his or her shirt with the identifying information turned toward the inside. Children can also wear I.D. in the form of bracelets (with the identifying information on the inside), shoe tags, or necklaces.
For further information about I.D. cards and other child security products and services, see the chapter "Child Security Products and Services".
Action Steps
1. Carry a child I.D. card with correct information in your
wallet at all times.
The Yello Dyno I.D. card (shown below) is a good example of the information
parents need to provide to authorities if one of their children is ever lost
or missing.
2. Provide your children with I.D. cards or other I.D. products.
These might be in the form of bracelets, shoe tags, or necklaces. Teenagers
should also carry I.D. cards with them at all times. They not only provide
identifying information, but may also include special emergency hotline
telephone numbers if your child ever finds himself in trouble.
3. Make a mental note of what your children are wearing each day.
You should be able to accurately describe your child if they are ever lost
or missing. What they are wearing could help distinguish them from the crowd.
