by Dr Dave

Created on: February 21, 2007   Last Updated: April 25, 2007

Every 43 seconds a child is reported missing! That's over 100,000 children per year! They may be lost, runaways, or a victim of an unhappy domestic/marital situation or crime.
Whatever the cause, it's heart-wrenching when a child is missing and law enforcement is usually called in immediately.
But were you aware that only about 3% of patents carry a recent (within 6 months) full face photograph of their children and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children receives useable up-to-date photos in only 1 out of 2 cases?

The CHIP (CHild Identification Program) Program is now recognized as the most comprehensive child recovery and identification program in the country, and is recognized by the recovery officials of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as law enforcement, dental, forensic and prosecution authorities.

What are its components?

Toothprint This is a oval-shaped plastic wafer that is warmed in water, placed in a child's mouth who is then instructed to bite down on it. It registers the "bite" of the child and also collects saliva, which can be used as a "scent sample" if canine recovery units are required. Naturally, with the ever-changing status of a child's dentition, a new toothprint should be obtained ever year or two. In some states, this toothprint can only be taken by a licensed dentist.

Videotape of DVD a short 1-3 minute video of the child holding a placard with their name in front of them. The person taping should ask the child simple questions based on their age: how old are you? What's your best friend's name? what's your favorite color? Etc. The purpose is to capture the child's mannerisms, speech patterns, how he/she holds their head, etc., which can be used for identification. It can quickly be distributed to various agencies including TV stations if needed.

Fingerprints fingerprinting has long been recognized as a reliable means of identification. While older children have the patience to receive a full printing, "pat" prints are more suitable for younger children (prints of the 4 fingers of each hand are taken simultaneously, along with each thumbprint).

Buccal Swab an item available commercially, it collects a small sample of tissue from the inside of the cheek. When frozen, it provides useable DNA for up to 20 years.

By the way, while designed for children, these identification are also useful for the identification/location of adults.

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