Fred FletcherParents in Hamilton County soon will have a new way to help track down their kids if they go missing.
Chattanooga police and other local law enforcement agencies will distribute about 60,000 child identification kits to local parents as part of the National Child Identification Program, organizers announced Friday.
The United Auto Workers is sponsoring this batch of kits, and is partnering with the American Football Coaches Association - which runs the national program - and the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police to distribute the envelope-sized kits.
Each kit includes a DNA swab, inkless fingerprint material and step-by-step directions for parents. The idea is for parents to fill out the kit and keep it just in case their child goes missing, said Ray Curry, director of UAW Region 8.
If that happens, the parent can turn the kit over to police, who can use the DNA and fingerprint to help track down the missing child.
The kit also includes a brochure where parents can record the child's identifying marks, physical description, current photograph and doctor's phone numbers.
The 60,000 kits will be distributed by Chattanooga police and other local law enforcement agencies, Chattanooga police Chief Fred Fletcher said. Police may bring the kits to special events or hand out kits directly from their patrol cars, he said.
"There will be several different mechanisms," Fletcher said. "We want to make sure everybody in every community from every walk of life gets access to this."
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