www.fbi.gov  (8/5/11)  Now there's a new tool from the FBI that can help.  The just launched Child ID app -- the first mobile application created by the FBI -- provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about your children so that it’s literally right at hand if you need it.  

 

You can show the pictures and provide physical identifiers such as height and weight to security or police officers on the spot.  Using a special tab on the app, you can also quickly and easily e-mail the information to authorities with a few clicks.  There is no charge for the app, which also includes tips on keeping children safe as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing. 

 

 

For its part, the FBI is working to publicize the app with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) -- its long-time partner in the National Child Identification Program, which provides a physical kit to gather your child’s pictures, fingerprints, personal characteristics, and even DNA to keep with you in case of emergency.

 

Right now, the Child ID app is only available for use on iPhones and can only be downloaded for free from the App Store on iTunes, but the FBI plans to expand this tool to other types of mobile devices in the near future.  And they’ll be adding new features -- including the ability to upload other photos stored on your smart phone -- in the coming weeks and months. 

 

 

Resources:  ► FBI Child ID app on iTunes  ► FBI's Crimes Against Children website