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PRESS RELEASE
CHILDREN
“ID” KITS GIVE AWAY IS A GREAT SUCCESS; NEXT VENUE
SLATED FOR KIDZ WORLD EXPO MAY 10, 2008
Over 500 complimentary child
identification kits along with fingerprinting were
provided free of charge to families during the
weekend of April 19.
Cape Coral, FL. – April 4,
2008 – Keeping children’s indentifying
information just got a lot easier for over 500
children in Lee County. United Investigations &
Protective Services (United IPS) and Island
Construction provided over 500 identity kits to
families at the Colonial Crossings Publix
Supermarket. The event was deemed a huge success by
Chris Risola, founder of United IPS, "We were
totally surprised by the sheer numbers of
participating families. These results certainly
charge our enthusiasm to do more events."
The second event, in
conjunction with the Lee County Sheriff's
Department, will take place at the
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2008 – 10:00 AM –
4:00 PM
HARBORSIDE
EVENT CENTER
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA
For more information, please
contact Richard Evins at United IPS. 239-233-2991.
Background
Information
Experts recommend that children
should be finger printed every year from the ages of
5 through 14 due to the high growth stages of
children during that period. Pictures should also be
updated just as frequently as the visual image
characteristics are equally changing.
According to the Department of
Justice, almost 800,000 children are reported
missing to law enforcement each year, while another
500,000 children go missing without being reported
to authorities. More specifically, the White House
reports the following statistics:
Child Abduction
Each year, more than 58,000
U.S. children are abducted by non-family members,
often in connection with another crime. More than
200,000 children are abducted by family members who
are seeking to interfere with a parent’s custodial
or visitation rights. Although the vast majority of
children (at least 98%) return from abductions, too
many children do not. While there are only around
100 reported cases each year of the most dangerous
type of abduction – stranger kidnapping – fully 40%
of these children are murdered.
Runaways
There are approximately 1.3
million young Americans on the street every day as a
result of running away and/or homelessness. One in
seven children between the ages of 10 - 18 will run
away. Some will return within a few days, while
others remain on the streets and never return.
Assaults, illness or suicide will take the lives of
5,000 runaway youth each year. The National Runaway
Switchboard (1-800-621-4000), funded in part through
the Department of Health and Human Services, handles
more than 100,000 phone calls each year.
Cyber Predators
Nearly 30 million children and
youth go online to research homework assignments and
to learn about the world they live in. Research by
the University of New Hampshire found that one in
five children between the ages of 10 and 17 received
a sexual solicitation over the Internet in the last
year. One in thirty-three received an aggressive
solicitation - a solicitor who asked to meet them
somewhere; called them on the telephone; or sent
them regular mail, money, or gifts. [For more
information, please see the site at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/04/20070404-7.html
Who Can Help
The National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children (NCMEC) encourages parents and
guardians to take a proactive role in the safety of
their children and offers some helpful tips,
including:
·
Understand potential risks before
placing birth announcement in the local newspaper or
online
o
Birth announcements should never
include the family’s home address and should be
limited to the parents surnames
·
Have a recent color photograph of your
child
o
For infants, a full, front-face view
is recommended along with footprints and a written
description of the infant noting hair, eye color,
length, weight, date of birth, and any unique
physical characteristics
·
Consider having a DNA sample taken
from your child
·
Choose babysitters with care by
obtaining references, checking in unexpectedly
during a session and noting any changes in your
child’s mood or behavior
·
As children mature and become verbal:
o
Ensure they know their full name,
address and phone number
o
Teach them how and when to call 911
o
Require that they ask permission
before leaving home
What to Do in the
Event of a Missing Child
ACT IMMEDIATELY if you believe
that your child is missing.
·
If your child is missing from home,
search the house checking closets, piles of laundry,
in and under beds, inside large appliances, and
inside vehicles, including trunks—wherever a child
may crawl or hide.
·
If you still cannot find your child,
immediately call your local law enforcement agency.
·
If your child disappears in a store,
notify the store manager or security office. Then
immediately call your local law-enforcement agency.
Many stores have a Code Adam plan of action— if a
child is missing in the store, employees immediately
mobilize to look for the missing child.
·
When you call law enforcement, provide
your child's name, date of birth, height, weight,
and any other unique identifiers such as eyeglasses
and braces. Tell them when you noticed that your
child was missing and what clothing he or she was
wearing.
·
Request that your child's name and
identifying information be immediately entered into
the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing
Person File.
·
After you have reported your child
missing to law enforcement, call the National Center
for Missing & Exploited Children on our toll-free
telephone number: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
Or you can use our Live Hotline to talk to NCMEC
through our web site.
About the National Center
for Missing & Exploited Children
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization dedicated to helping protect children
from abduction and sexual exploitation. NCMEC’s
congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting
mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled
more than 500,000 leads. Since its establishment in
1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more
than 133,000 missing child cases, resulting in the
recovery of more than 115,700 children. For more
information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour
hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit
www.missingkids.com.
About United Investigations &
Protective Services
United IPS is a full service,
private investigative agency with headquarters in
Cape Coral, Florida. United IPS provides services
extensively throughout Florida and across the USA.
Our private investigators have compiled many years
of investigative experience at Federal and State
levels and within the private sector. Fully
licensed and insured with a bi-lingual staff, United
IPS utilizes up-to-date surveillance techniques and
equipment to deliver results. All investigations are
conducted in a strictly professional manner with
complete confidentiality and integrity. United IPS
can be reached at
2323
Del Prado Blvd
Suite
7-360
Cape
Coral, Florida 33990
Toll
Free: 888-411-1131
FAX: 941-876-0590
Email
:
Contact@Unitedips.com
Web
Site:
www.unitedips.com
E-mail: contact@unitedips.com
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