Police urge child identification

Carlton Police Department will give out 500 inkless child identification kits in a collaborative effort to protect children with National Night Out organization the National Child ID Program, and grant support from AT&T and Johnson & Johnson.

Parents can pick up ID kits during Carlton’s annual National Night Out event, which will run from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, in Wennerberg Park, Carlton’s lower park. The free community event also will include food, activities for children, give-aways and music.

The ID kits let parents record fingerprints and other details that will help identify and locate their children if they go missing.

“It is a voluntary kit that acts like life insurance,” said Kevin Martinez, Carlton police chief. “You pray you never need to use it. However, should your child go missing, the information in these kits saves us time and has helped expedite efforts to find missing children.”

Each kit includes an inkless fingerprinting kit, a DNA sample collection and places to record physical identification, location of medical records and a recent photo.

On average, 1,000 children go missing in the United States every day. When that happens, time is of the essence, said Martinez and Matt Peskin, founder and executive director of National Night Out.

By having identifying information readily on hand, Martinez said, families will be able to share the kits with law enforcement, thereby cutting down on time investigators need to collect such information.

“The terror and grief felt by parents and caregivers when a child goes missing can be crippling,” he said. “These ID kits can help give law enforcement clarity in an otherwise chaotic situation.”

Distributing the ID kits at National Night Out fits with the overall purpose of the annual event: to promote police- community partnerships, neighborhood camaraderie, and safer, more caring communities, said Matt Peskin, founder and executive director of National Night Out.

For more information, call Carlton police, at 503-852-7575.