| From news broadcasts all across the country, on | | | | families, allowed for many parents to have this |
| Tuesday, October 27, 2009, mourners said their | | | | necessary information and way to have updated |
| goodbyes to a 7-year old girl whose body was found | | | | identification of their children on hand to keep in the |
| in a landfill after she disappeared while walking home | | | | home. In case of an emergency, the parents can give |
| from school. The killer has still not been found, but | | | | this card to authorities to assist in the effort of locating |
| hopeful will be apprehended soon. She was known to | | | | or identifying a child. Here are two scenarios to explain: |
| many as "a community hugger". Her name was | | | | SCENARIO #1: Rebecca, age 11 is abducted by her |
| Somer. | | | | father, who is divorcing her mother. She is taken from |
| Prior to this final day of rest, the community held | | | | Phoenix, AZ to Atlanta, GA. Five years has passed |
| fundraising events to raise monies for Somer's burial | | | | and Rebecca's mom still doesn't know where she is. |
| and also helped many families protect their child from | | | | On Rebecca's 16th birthday, she goes to the Dept. of |
| the same occurrence. This is what induced a serious | | | | Motor Vehicles to get her driver's license where they |
| reality check within me and for the lives of our youth | | | | scan her fingerprints. The DMV database automatically |
| across the U.S. They were given the opportunity to | | | | sends Rebecca's information to the National Crimes |
| complete fingerprinting kits enthusiastically endorsed by | | | | Information Center and the fingerprint match the |
| the FBI and National Sheriff's Association, for their own | | | | record of a missing child in Arizona and within days the |
| children to keep in the home. The fingerprinting would | | | | police reunites Rebecca with her mother. |
| allow for a more detailed and immediate identification | | | | SCENARIO #2: Marcus, age 14, runs away from home |
| for their children in this similar situation and others. The | | | | in Detroit. After 6 months he is arrested for shoplifting |
| program was created by the American Football | | | | groceries and fingerprinted in Chicago, IL. When his |
| Coaches Association and is known as the National | | | | fingerprints are sent to the National Crimes Information |
| Child Identification Program. | | | | Center, it is shown that he is a runaway. Detroit police |
| According to U.S statistics, each year, more than | | | | are notified and Marcus is reunited with his parents. |
| 800,000 children go missing, that's 1 child every 40 | | | | We may not be able to protect our children from |
| seconds. When the AFCA began this program less | | | | every obstacle life brings, but we can learn to use the |
| than 2 percent of families had their child's fingerprints | | | | preventive resources we do have. |
| on file. Their inkless fingerprinting kits provided to the | | | | |