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Hazelwood To Co-Sponsor Child ID Protection Program on Jan.23
The Hazelwood Police Department and the Missouri Masonic Children’s Foundation are partnering to co-sponsor a Missouri Child Identification and Protection Program (MoCHIP) on Saturday, Jan. 23, from 10 to 2. The event will be held at the LDS Church, located at 6386 Howdershell Road in Hazelwood. This charitable program provides parents with an opportunity to create a kit of identifying materials for their child free of charge.
No one wants to think the unimaginable could happen to them, though nearly 2,000 children are reported missing or abducted in the United States each day. According to Sgt. Don Routh, Hazelwood Police Department, “Parents should not wait until such a tragedy hits them or someone they know. It’s best for them to take proactive steps to protect the safety of their children. Gathering all the vital information law enforcement officials need after the fact can be a daunting task, especially under duress.”
Since the inception of MoCHIP in August 2005, Missouri Freemasons have processed more than 83,558 children at 514 events across the state. The program is designed to identify youngsters from newborns on up to college students. A sealed kit is created that can provide critical information to the public and law enforcement in the event a child goes missing.
Nicholas Cichielo, MoCHIP State Coordinator, said, “Information contained on the disc inside the kit can be uploaded to the Amber Alert system within a minute and a half. I know of six children who have been returned to their parents because of the MoCHIP program.”
Several stations are set up where volunteers measure their height, snap digital photos, scan fingerprints and take a dental impression. The wafer created with the latter task serves as a DNA and canine scent sample as well. In addition, information is gathered on their hair and eye color, distinguishing features such as birth marks and emergency contact numbers. All this data is burned onto a mini-CD computer disk and given to the child’s parent or guardian. The kit also includes two (2) laminated ID cards.
Once the child is processed through the program, which usually takes about 15 minutes, the parent is armed with a single pre-printed envelop that instructs authorities on what to do in the event of an emergency. “This undoubtedly is a proactive measure to combat the time sensitivity involved in recovery,” added Routh.
The National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) encourages parents to be prepared by assembling their child’s photos and vital information ahead of time.
For more information on the MoCHIP event in the City of Hazelwood, call Sgt. Don Routh at (314) 513-5208.
