When a child goes missing or is lost, every second counts. Fortunately, Alexander City police dedicated Monday to giving parents a useful tool in case of such an emergency.
The Alexander City Police Department created identification cards for children at Walmart in conjunction with the department’s Child Safety ID program.
It falls under the larger umbrella of the S.A.F.E. initiative, which prioritizes crime prevention and includes the D.A.R.E school program.
Officer David Johnson said an ID initiative has occurred every summer for years and provides parents with a resource with all a child’s personal information.
“We try to meet the needs of all of the community and everything they might need,” he said.
In this case, Johnson said the ID initiative helps parents readily provide information about a child that could help locate them in the event of an emergency.
“If an officer responds to such a call, the parents will have something to give (the officers) to go ahead and get that information out there,” he said.
In years past, the department provided parents with a sheet of information, but this year for the first time, they printed pocket-size cards containing a photograph and fingerprint.
Officer Will Davis described the card as beneficial for children as well who may not know their address or who need to provide information to an adult or law enforcement.
“This was really popular before cell phones and parents also still love to have them just in case and can have them around in their wallet,” he said.
The card lists over 20 characteristics including a child’s name, address and primary phone number, but includes other useful facts such as health considerations, physical attributes and nicknames.
“This was really popular before cell phones and parents still love to have them just in case and can have them around in their wallet,” he said.
The parent is the only person who keeps the record when completed and is given the sole copy of all identification material.
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