Since one of the Highlands Police Department's priorities is the safety of the children within the community, we think you should know about an important event we offer to help safeguard these children. It's called KidCare Photo ID Program, and is part of the national campaign by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), http://www.missingkids.com/, to increase awareness about missing children and to educate families about the steps they can take to help protect their children.

The purpose of the KidCare Photo ID event is to provide parents with a free photograph of their child and a fingerprint card in an ID booklet where they can also maintain statistics. The KidCare Photo ID provides parents with information necessary to have handy if their child is ever lost or abducted.

No one likes to think it can happen to them, but over one million children are reported missing each year. Authorities say the single most important tool in helping to find a missing child is a good quality photograph. In fact, one in seven missing children featured in a NCMEC photo distribution program are recovered because of that photo.

Of course nearly all parents have photographs of their children, but most do not have suitable photographs for release to law enforcement officials and the press should their child become missing. The type of photo that is needed is an unobstructed head and shoulders shot of the child alone. Which we provide to parents during KidCare Photo ID events. Parents keep the only photo.

The Highlands Police Department became involved in the KidCare Photo ID Program in November 2003 hosting the first event at both the Highlands Elementary School and Our Lady of Perpetual Help School. Every year members of the department continue to host a program for the first grade classes and in August 2005 the department expanded the program to include hosting an event at the Clam Festival.

We look forward to seeing you at the next KidCare Photo ID event.