Wayne County Sheriff Launches Operation ‘Safe Child’

Wayne County, NY, Sheriff Richard Pisciotti reports the implementation of “Operation Safe Child” through the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office is the first law-enforcement agency in Wayne County to participate in the program, which involves digitally fingerprinting and photographing children.

The Sheriff recently received a grant from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services to purchase the necessary equipment that consists of the latest digital fingerprinting technology and high resolution photography capabilities.

Sheriff Pisciotti states national statistics show that approximately 35 percent of parents do not know certain pertinent information about their children, including their height, weight, and eye color. Many parents also do not possess recent photographs of their children.

Using “Operation Safe Child,” law enforcement personnel can take a digital photograph of a child along with digital prints of the child’s index fingers. A small wallet-size Identification card can be created for parents/guardians bearing the child’s photograph, prints and other biographical information including name; date of birth; eye color; height; weight and any other descriptive information.

With written permission of a parent or guardian, the information can be kept in a special data base at the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services in Albany. This database can greatly assist law enforcement with the investigation of a missing child.

Stored information regarding a missing child can be sent electronically to other law enforcement agencies in minutes, which can greatly enhance the possibility of bringing a missing child home safely.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from US States News (06/15/07).