Computerized Images Allow Quick Tracking Of Children

Imagine a morning when you’re late for work, frantically looking for your lost keys. It’s driving you crazy - you know they’re in the house; after all, you had to get in somehow.

Now imagine those keys are your child. And he or she is missing. And the one thing you are sure of is that your child’s NOT in the house. You can’t just make a copy of kids like you can a house or car key.

But you can capture their image on a computer disk in the event they turn up missing. The Safe Kid Identification Disk (SKID) program was started in 1994 by the Spokane Police Department and the Spokane Community Oriented Policing Substations. Research showed that 92 percent of child abductions were by non-custodial parents, said Marilyn Rice, Spokane COPS Administrative Assistant. Juvenile fingerprints cannot be tracked at airports as quickly as computerized photos; the program expedites the process of searching for missing kids, she said.

Computerized pictures are taken and transferred to a computer disk, then given to the parent for safekeeping. Should the child ever turn up missing, the disk can be taken to any law enforcement agency and the picture can instantly be transmitted across the country, said Rice.

A $1 donation is requested to help cover the cost of equipment and disks, but nobody is turned away because they can’t pay.

Two photos are taken - a face shot and full-body shot. When parents are worried and frantic trying to locate their children, they may forget to include details like their child is short-waisted or bow-legged, Rice said.

Worried about security? No problem. No addresses or particulars about the family are on the disk in case it is lost. It’s simply labeled with the date and location where the picture was taken. Once you open the file, it’s just a photo. And, COPS doesn’t keep any of the images; they are loaded directly from the camera to the disk, said Rice.

Parents can keep the disks in safe deposit boxes or personal files. They can be updated annually.

And, it’s not only for kids. Rice says it can help seniors, Alzheimer’s patients or anyone with a condition that causes them to be confused or delusional, Rice said.

Counties across the nation are following SKID’s lead and implementing similar programs, Rice said.

SKID needs monetary or computer disk donations.

Luckily, the Police Department hasn’t had reason to use one of the disks yet. But, better safe than sorry.

SKID will participate in the Hillyard COPS Substation Easter Rally April 11 and at Kid’s Week in Riverfront Park in July.

But you don’t have to wait until then to get yours done. The SKID program also sets up at schools, day cares and COPS substations. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 625-3300.

, DataTimes MEMO: Created in support of the Spokane County Health Improvement Partnership (HIP), Discoveries highlights people working to improve community health and well-being.