SHERIFF'S OFFICE PROMOTES CHILD IDENTIFICATION
10/21/2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT
Major Lafayette Woods, Jr.
Operation Commander/Public Information Officer
870.541.5351-OFFICE/870.329.5652-CELL
Email: lafayette.woods@jeffcoso.org
SHERIFF'S OFFICE PROMOTES CHILD INDENTIFICATION: Jefferson County, Arkansas – October 21th 2013 – Encouraging safety awareness and the importance of “Child Identification” were the goals during a recent visit to Greenville Elementary School.
The program was sponsored by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office “Child Identification Initiative”. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Major Lafayette Woods talked to children about the importance of safety and provided the parents of children with Child Identification Cards, courtesy of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The Initiative lodges to aid in the identification and recovery of missing children. The Child Identification Card Initiative allows parents and/or guardians the opportunity to be provided an ID card for their child, free of charge. The card contains a physical description and photograph of the child. The purpose of the card is to provide critical information to the public and to law enforcement in the event that a child goes missing. In the event that a child goes missing, the CHILD IDENTIFICATION CARD should be immediately presented to any member of law enforcement in order to accurate and immediately identify the missing child.
"I think it definitely encourages the importance of Child Identification," Woods said. "It also gives parents and/or guardians parents piece of mind, while assisting authorities to quickly and properly identify children in the event he or she is lost or displaced”.
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Community Services Section promotes public awareness for the Sheriff's Office. The Child I.D. is a program the Community Service Unit promotes in an effort to ensure the safety of children. Deputies of the Sheriff’s Office regularly participate in community events, where they provide picture I.D.’s and fingerprint children for identification purposes.
Contrary to popular opinion, the sheriff’s office does not keep a record of children prints. Instead, we provide the I.D. Cards and fingerprints to the parents. This information can be used in the event the child is abducted or missing at some point in the future. Parents are then encouraged to store the card in a safe location for future reference if needed.