New FBI Child Id

Dedicated to Polly Hannah Klaas 1981-1993

October 1 was the 18th anniversary of the kidnapping of Polly Klaas. If she were alive today, Polly would be 30 years old.

We honor all missing children today-- those whose whereabouts are still unknown, those who have been slain, and those who were kidnapped as children, recovered and are now building productive lives as they grow up and become adults.
______________________________

Things have changed since Polly’s kidnapping. With the active participation of our members, who used the Polly Klaas Foundation website to contact their elected officials, Amber Alerts are now the law in all 50 states and at the Federal level.  Also, law enforcement organizations now have protocols for communicating with one another in missing child cases. Best of all, a missing child report takes the highest priority. We applaud the law enforcement community who over the years have incorporated new procedures and new technological tools to respond to the news of a child being kidnapped.

In that spirit, we are truly pleased to see the latest technological innovation to help find missing children. The FBI has issued its first and only smartphone app—to help parents quickly report that their child has gone missing.


The FBI’s Child ID App

The FBI’s Child ID app is now available to all iPhone users, apps for other mobile devices are on their way. Launched in August 2011, the app allows you to store each of your children’s vital information & current photo on your smartphone (not with the FBI or itunes.)

In the unlikely event that your child goes missing, the app allows you to instantly shoot out an email with this vital information to the appropriate agencies. This app is a powerful tool, literally in the palm of your hands, if your child ever goes missing or gets lost.

5 Reasons why we are excited about the FBI Child ID app:

1. The app contains invaluable safety tips that you can review with your child. Use these tips as a jumping off point to rich discussions with your child. Use PKF’s free Child Safety Kit  as a guide to teaching abduction prevention without scaring your child or yourself.
2. A tab within the app contains two hot buttons for 9-1-1 and for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: One touch and you’ll be connected.
3. Another tab within the app contains useful checklists/guidelines for a searching parent during the first 24 and 48 hours a child is missing. Included in that tab is a user guide and other “Helpful Links and Resources.”
4. The FBI assures users that all data stored within the app will reside solely in your phone and will not be stored by the FBI or iTunes… unless you decide to share/e-mail that information to other agencies.
5. The FBI plans to add more features in the coming months and plans to broaden its reach beyond iPhone users to other mobile devices

The fact that the FBI’s first and only app is an app dedicated to child safety should be applauded. We are thrilled that government agencies are placing the safety of children as the highest of priorities.
______________________________

You can learn more about the foundation by visiting Poly Klaas Foundation.