St. Clare Walker parents presented child identification kits

As part of the National Child ID Program, a representative from the Virginia attorney general’s office delivered identification kits to St. Clare Walker (SCW) Middle School.

This week, the child ID kits were given to all students to take home so that parents or guardians could collect identification data on their child. The information is stored at the child’s home to be used if the unfortunate happens and the child should go missing, explained Sgt. B. Randall, chief school resource officer with the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).

The program was created in 1997 following the abduction and death of Amber Hagerman, the namesake for the Amber Alert. Since it began more than 75 million child ID kits have been distributed nationally via public-private partnerships.

Collected information

These kits are specifically designed to help law enforcement during the crucial first 24 hours of a missing child investigation. Into the kit parents will put a photo of their child, a copy of their fingerprint, and DNA — such as a piece of hair — and then store the kits in case the unimaginable happens, explained Victoria LaCivita of the attorney general’s office.

Having the identification material ready at the beginning of an investigation gives law enforcement more time to locate the missing child…