Attorney General Daniel Cameron recently joined a 20-state coalition of attorneys general in sending a letter to President Donald Trump asking for his support of the National ID Child Program. The program provides Child ID Kits to parents or guardians to easily collect and record physical characteristics, fingerprints, and DNA of their child.
This information is retained by the parent or guardian and can then be shared with law enforcement in the event that the child is exploited, abducted, or trafficked. Outside groups do not collect, monitor, or access this data.
The coalition urges support of H.R. 4172, also known as the National Child Identification Act of 2019, which would enable each state, through their Attorney General, to have the opportunity to request grant funding to purchase Child ID Kits for K-6th grade children. Each kit costs $1.76 per child.
The coalition states in the letter that “Covid-19 has made children more vulnerable to be groomed and exploited by predators,” and notes that the National Child ID program has requested stimulus funds be earmarked as grants to fund the purchase of Child ID Kits while the National Child Identification Act is being considered by Congress.
“Additional funding for Child ID Kits would provide more Kentucky parents with the opportunity to record information about their child that can then be used to assist law enforcement in the event that a child is missing,” Cameron said. “We are committed to joining initiatives like this one to help stop the exploitation and abduction of children and give law enforcement the tools needed to help locate missing children.”
The National Child Identification Program, also known as ‘Safety Blitz,’ partners with the Department of Justice, Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation, local law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community organizations to provide families with an in-home fingerprint and DNA identification kit and has distributed more than 54 million Child ID Kits. The community service initiative was launched by the American Football Coaches Association in 1997.
Cameron joins attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia in sending a letter to the President.
To view a copy of the letter, click here.
