| Elizabeth Smart was found alive and in good health, nine months after she was abducted from her own bedroom in an affluent California suburb. Although this drama had a "happy ending," kidnappings and lost children are a serious problem throughout the United States. From the Lindbergh baby kidnapping of 1932 to Elizabeth Smart - some 70 years later - abductions are always sensationalized on broadcasts and on the front pages of our newspapers. It's a family's worst nightmare, and the Smart case illustrates it can happen anywhere and at anytime. Many schools give safety classes to teach children to stay away from strangers and to know how to call their families in an emergency. Another program is Operation Amber Alert, which utilizes the broadcast power of local radio stations to continually announce the name, description, and last known location of a lost child during the first crucial hours, so everyone in the community can be on the lookout. Locally, Benjamin Cahn, a junior at the Solomon Schechter High School in Glen Cove and a candidate for Eagle Scout, is conducting an identification campaign for kindergarten and elementary school age children. Implemented by volunteers, the program will create, free of charge, an ID Sheet for parents to keep in case their child becomes lost, or worse. The ID sheet was specially designed for this project and will contain a head-shot photograph of each child, as well as a full set of fingerprints, some strands of hair as a DNA sample, and a short written description of the child. "It's more comprehensive than the old 'Kid Pix' program they used to run years ago. And with today's technology, this information can be in the hands of law enforcement nation-wide before you know it." Ben said, as he described the program. "We're only in high school," he continued, "but all of the volunteers in this program want to serve the community. We take this very seriously." The volunteers are Solomon Schechter High School students as well as Scouts from the Roslyn area Boy Scout Troop 267, which meets at Temple Beth Sholom in Roslyn Heights. They've received training in fingerprinting from Police Officer Vinnie Garcia of the Nassau County Police Public Affairs Department, and will be utilizing fingerprinting equipment and materials on loan from the NCPD. In total, about 200 children will participate in the program during the month of May. But that leaves many more children without formal identification. As part of the project, Ben and his volunteers will create a pamphlet with step-by-step procedures on how to conduct this program. The pamphlet will be distributed to area elementary schools, nursery schools, and houses of worship with religious schools. If you wish to find out more about this program, or to donate to the project to help defray costs, please call Ben at 516-621-1634, or write to him via email at ChildID@mail-star.com. |
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| High Profile Abductions Spawn ID Campaign May 9 By Joshua Cahn |