Cactus Village Community

Kids Identification Safety (KIDS PROGRAM)..by Officer Galvano

Jul 25, 2003

?“9-1-1- WHAT IS YOUR EMERGENCY??”

?“MY CHILD WAS JUST PLAYING OUTSIDE AND NOW I CAN?’T FIND HIM!?”

Not knowing where your child is can be a frightening experience for a parent. Not being able to provide a quick and accurate physical description or picture for the police can be crucial.

Beginning in the fall the Phoenix Neighborhood Patrol and Cactus Park Precinct will begin fingerprinting and photographing children grades K-6. This is a partnership between Cactus Park Precinct, Washington, Alhambra and Deer Valley Unified School District and this is the way the program will work.

Students will be given a permission slip to be signed by the parent or legal guardian to participate in this activity. Once the permission slip is signed and returned, the child will have their photograph taken, fingerprint and a swab of saliva (for DNA) taken and sealed in a baggie which will be retained by the parent. The parent will place the baggie in their freezer at home for preservation.

On the back of the card with the child's photograph, we ask the parent to fill in the child's height, weight, eye and hair color as well as any other identifying marks the child may have. Once the kit is complete the parent will update the photo on a yearly basis when school photos are done!

You may ask yourself if your child's fingerprints or DNA will change as they get older and the answer is no. Fingerprints and DNA are an infallible means of personal identification. The ridge arrangement on every finger of every human being is unique and does not alter with growth or age. Injuries such as superficial burns, abrasions or cuts do not affect the ridge structure and the original pattern is duplicated in any new skin that grows. With DNA, unless your child is an identical twin, their DNA will also be unique to them?“9-1-1- WHAT IS YOUR EMERGENCY??”

?“MY CHILD WAS JUST PLAYING OUTSIDE AND NOW I CAN?’T FIND HIM!?”

Not knowing where your child is can be a frightening experience for a parent. Not being able to provide a quick and accurate physical description or picture for the police can be crucial.

Beginning in the fall the Phoenix Neighborhood Patrol and Cactus Park Precinct will begin fingerprinting and photographing children grades K-6. This is a partnership between Cactus Park Precinct, Washington, Alhambra and Deer Valley Unified School District and this is the way the program will work.

Students will be given a permission slip to be signed by the parent or legal guardian to participate in this activity. Once the permission slip is signed and returned, the child will have their photograph taken, fingerprint and a swab of saliva (for DNA) taken and sealed in a baggie which will be retained by the parent. The parent will place the baggie in their freezer at home for preservation.

On the back of the card with the child's photograph, we ask the parent to fill in the child's height, weight, eye and hair color as well as any other identifying marks the child may have. Once the kit is complete the parent will update the photo on a yearly basis when school photos are done!

You may ask yourself if your child's fingerprints or DNA will change as they get older and the answer is no. Fingerprints and DNA are an infallible means of personal identification. The ridge arrangement on every finger of every human being is unique and does not alter with growth or age. Injuries such as superficial burns, abrasions or cuts do not affect the ridge structure and the original pattern is duplicated in any new skin that grows. With DNA, unless your child is an identical twin, their DNA will also be unique to them?“9-1-1- WHAT IS YOUR EMERGENCY??”

?“MY CHILD WAS JUST PLAYING OUTSIDE AND NOW I CAN?’T FIND HIM!?”

Not knowing where your child is can be a frightening experience for a parent. Not being able to provide a quick and accurate physical description or picture for the police can be crucial.

Beginning in the fall the Phoenix Neighborhood Patrol and Cactus Park Precinct will begin fingerprinting and photographing children grades K-6. This is a partnership between Cactus Park Precinct, Washington, Alhambra and Deer Valley Unified School District and this is the way the program will work.

Students will be given a permission slip to be signed by the parent or legal guardian to participate in this activity. Once the permission slip is signed and returned, the child will have their photograph taken, fingerprint and a swab of saliva (for DNA) taken and sealed in a baggie which will be retained by the parent. The parent will place the baggie in their freezer at home for preservation.

On the back of the card with the child's photograph, we ask the parent to fill in the child's height, weight, eye and hair color as well as any other identifying marks the child may have. Once the kit is complete the parent will update the photo on a yearly basis when school photos are done!

You may ask yourself if your child's fingerprints or DNA will change as they get older and the answer is no. Fingerprints and DNA are an infallible means of personal identification. The ridge arrangement on every finger of every human being is unique and does not alter with growth or age. Injuries such as superficial burns, abrasions or cuts do not affect the ridge structure and the original pattern is duplicated in any new skin that grows. With DNA, unless your child is an identical twin, their DNA will also be unique to them. . . ☻