I.D.'ing children: Hype or what?

Factual Questions
1

We’ve all seen the public service that our local law enforcement agencies do around every Halloween of fingerprinting and poloroiding children and writing on a card the pertinent information to help identify little Joey or Suzy “in the event it is needed.”

Natually, assuming the worst of human nature, we figure Kidnapping by a stranger. When most in most of the circumstances the “kidnapping” is between two parents.

Now what I’m wondering or I have never heard is: Has any child ever been recovered or have these ID kits that are touted to being essential for “our children’s safety” ever helped out ( other than soothing a worried parents brow?)

Personally speaking, I think it is a waste of tax payer money and time, but then again, I don’t live in a wretched urban enviroment,etc.

Any one else have any input on this matter?

2

Are you kidding? Input? This is the Straight Dope ! I have two young kids, 8 and 9 1/2. I’ve had them printed twice, and photographed.
As far as long-term kidnapping ( with a body found one day) , forget it. Skin deteriorates, and so there goes the fingerprints. I do it because it is tangible evidence that can be used to match to a body. This is an awful prospect, but the truth in our world.
Same with current photos. I have NO idea what the stats are of kids recovered from kidnapping ( with known, or stranger abductors ) where a good photo or set of prints helped. Even if it costs you a little, is that really the issue? It doesn’t make me sleep any better, it just makes me think that I’d find out if my kid was found one day… unidentifiable but for a fingerprint. Personally, I think a DNA image is better, that can be extracted from any bit of body tissue or bone.
Gee. What an awful topic. Think I’ll go kiss my kid. :frowning:

Cartooniverse

If you want to kiss the sky, you’d better learn how to kneel.

3

This is one of those things that I just don’t get. Could you imagine telling your kid “Come on, little Johnny, let’s go get you fingerprinted just in case your headless body washes up on the banks of a river someday”?

Talk about screwing a kid up. These people are inflicting harm on their kids, and for what? Just for the one-in-several-million chance that it might help in identification of a corpse? When I see these fingerprinting/videotaping sessions going on, it makes me want to grab each parent by the shoulders, shake vigorously, and yell “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!?”

They must be the same parents who tell their kids never to talk to strangers. With my son, we practice at home talking to strangers.

4

I think a “mug shot” type of photo would be extremely helpful in finding a missing child whether foul play is involved or not. Might as well take prints while your at it. You might be able to determine if a missing child used a drinking fountain in the park or whatever. You never know. Where does it say that the sole reason for such programs is to ID dead bodies?

Elmer J. Fudd,
Millionaire.
I own a mansion and a yacht.

5

This aspect never occurred to me; it makes a lot of sense when you put it that way. I think kids know all about kidnapping, etc because they see it in the news. The way to make them not scared about it is to teach them how to defend themselves or escape if it ever happens. I watched an Oprah where they were teaching kids how to disable a car’s brakelights and in some instances kick out the taillight itself from inside the trunk of a car, increasing their chances of surviving being thrown in a trunk by getting the kidnappers pulled over. Seems over the top, but I’m thinking that sort of thing should probably be up there with “Stop, Drop, and Roll.”

6

“Where does it say that the sole reason for such programs is to ID dead bodies?”
—Elmer J. Fudd

It say’s so in the book of common sense, Elmer. What are the real chances of finding a kid armed with a finger print? Or a DNA print, for that matter? Parents would be well advised to keep recent photos of their kids. Photos may well help parents find a lost child, if they are very lucky. I’m uncomfortable with the idea of tagging your kid for life with a DNA sample. The fingerprint thing is kinda hard to avoid, given the practice of giving one to obtain a drivers license, but I don’t think I want everybody in the world having access to my kid’s DNA.
Maybe I’m being alarmist, but this whole program reminds me of those insurance ads that imply that if you love your children, you’ll “protect” them with a life insurance policy.
And no, I don’t like the D.A.R.E. program either.
Ok, done ranting.
Peace,
mangeorge

I only know two things;
I know what I need to know
And
I know what I want to know
Mangeorge, 2000

7

There was an interesting case in Canada recently where a little girl was murdered and her body cut into pieces. The police found a garbage bag with her limbs in it but nothing else at that point.

They were finally able to positively identify her by taking painted hand prints she made at school and comparing them.

Sadly, yesterday they also found her head. In this mornings paper, there was a comment made that the police had never done this kind of identification before but that the forensics experts could definitely positively i.d. her just from these painted prints.

We are, each of us angels with only one wing,and we can only fly by embracing one another

8

Personally, I think it’s a conspiracy to get the new generation prepped for a life under totalitarianism. We already have grade schoolers being expelled from school for carrying pairs of non-blunt scissors and cough medicine to school, kids being encouraged to rat each other out for the sake of the “war on drugs”, kids watching TV programs whose content has been vetted by government censors . . . why not? I’m just waiting for someone to come up with the bright idea of placing microchip implants in kids for the sake of tracking their movements . . . in case they’re kidnapped, of course.

Exits, pursued by a bear

9

You should always have an implanted chip. . .in case you lose your cell phone.

Gotta quit reading these threads. They’re even more depressing than listening to the news.

Ray

10

I’m kinda on the lines of Doghouse, but not as extreme. I’ve looked to no result for stats on actual child abduction by a stranger and have come up empty. Does any one know of any links to help me prove or disprove that this is a case of hysteria or a well worth prevention.

I have ambilavent feelings about teaching kids how to get out of any abduction situation, not that I’m against it, but in reality, what are the chances? Jr. is more likely to try this trick at home goofing around with friends than anything else.

Along the lines, why not teach little Johnny or Suzy how to recognize a pedophile or kicking “Friendly” Uncle Marvin in the groin when he has his hands wandering all over their bodies. What about rape prevention classes for girls starting in about 7th grade. “No means No” classes for boys at the same time. Meanwhile, sex education classes across the nation suck beyond measure. We are teaching our kids that what is normal (sex education) is wrong and what may never happen (abduction) COULD happen at any time. No wonder they are so messed up.

We are instilling in these kids that all STRANGERS are bad people, and usually the most physical or mental damage they get is from someone they know, usually within their families.

Of course, this linear thinking that I’m having at this moment, seems to encourage Little Johnny to rat out and out right lie about his Mom or Dad punishing him
(in a non beating kind of way) for flushing his little brothers pokemon cards down the toilet and going to the school counselor stating “I was beaten/touched/looked at funny by my Dad.” just to get even with them. We’ve seen this on the news.

It seems to be one extreme or the other.Both are an over or under correction of the other and there is no easy answer.

As for the DNA evidence, hell, Mom or Dad could provide that if a headless/handless body washes up.

Most malls and stores (and parking lots) now have pretty thorough security cameras and the technology is growing. A child still may wander off with a stranger, but it will be caught on tape, even briefly. Teaching your child to say, " NO! I don’t know you." and to run away to the nearest Mommy with kids or store clerk is the safest avenue, In my mind.

11

You have some great points there Shirley. Its a very hard thing to decide just how much we want to education or not educate our kids… To me instilling too much fear in them is a bad thing. They need to be safe, no doubt about it, but they also need to be kids who dont live in constant turmoil and fear of the unknown.

We are, each of us angels with only one wing,and we can only fly by embracing one another

12

It’s beneficial to have a up to date photo of your child.

That ID thing for kids is too extreme for me.
The one for pets is okay cause so many white cats look alike.

13

Handy, this had me ROTFLMAO!!! What a hoot.

I, too, feel that much of what we are teaching our kids is more harm than help. We have instilled so much fear in them (and ourselves) that we trust no-one. Everyone is assumed to be some sort of menace, and this has lead to a more an more isolated society, IMO. Hell, I’ve gotten strange looks from mommies in department stores for picking up a toy their stroller-bound kid dropped and handing it back to them. (For the record, I am a very normal looking 33 year old woman.)
A little off topic, but I think all this fear has a detrimental effect on children’s self-esteem. You do not learn to be strong, ambitious and outgoing when your brought up to always be looking over your shoulder for the boogie man.

“I should not take bribes and Minister Bal Bahadur KC should not do so either. But if clerks take a bribe of Rs 50-60 after a hard day’s work, it is not an issue.” ----Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Current Prime Minister of Nepal

14

In a town just south of us, a little girl, named Pamela was kidnapped right in front of her house while rollerblading with an older sister. She kicked and screamed and fought, her sister called for help to the other sister in the house that immediately dialed 911. The neighbors heard the screaming and got the license and description of the truck. The police were able to find out who had the truck and the girl still ended up dead. Nothing I do to my daughters is going to scare them like knowing about this while they were searching, man-hunting, etc. I have 2 little ID cards in my wallet. The older one has been to a self-defense program put on by the sherriff’s dept where she learned to stick her finger down her throat and puke in a kidnapper’s face or pull the wires from under the dash, things a kid might not think of. We quiz her periodically on our code word. We’ve gotten to know many people in our neighborhood so that there is always a safe house to run toward if a suspicious person is blocking the way home. She knows to scream “Fire” if she needs help. We’re not paranoid, bad stuff does happen to innocent kids like Pamela sometimes. If my child wants to have any independence, she has to take responsibility for her safety.