Child ID Program

CHILD ID PROGRAM

Temecula Catalina Island Lodge is honored to be part of the California Masonic Child ID Program

Child Identification Program (CHIP)

CHIP (Child Identification Program) has identified more than 250,000 children since its inception in 1988, and it continues to assist families today. The program provides tools to help law enforcement authorities find and identify a lost or missing child.

The children have their pictures and thumbprints digitally scanned into the computer. No ink is used, so it is a clean, quick process. The picture and thumbprints are taken and transferred to a single sheet of paper using a computer system. Also there is an area on the sheet that provides for DNA. That is placing a small zip type baggy with the sheet to place finger nail clippings or the roots of the childs hair in the bag. The images are placed into a template that includes space for names, nicknames, distinguishing marks, doctor, dentist, and other biographical facts. Parents fill in these details at their convenience.

Parents and other caregivers receive a document that can be copied quickly and distributed to police or posted around the community in case the child disappears. No information is taken from the parent or child and once the identification sheet is provided to the parent, the child’s file is deleted from the Masons’ equipment.  Absolutely no information is retained. The entire process takes less than a minute.

Why should we fingerprint our children?

  • 450,000 children run away each year
  • 300,000 children are abducted each year by family members
  • More than 58,000 children are abducted every year by non-family members

That’s more than 800,000 children in America missing each year – one child every 40 seconds. Yet, when the National Child Identification Program began; less than two percent of parents had a copy of their child’s fingerprints to use in case of an emergency.

The National Child Identification Program is a community service initiative dedicated to changing these statistics by providing parents and guardians with a tool they can use to help protect their children. The I.D. Kit collects specific information by easily recording the physical characteristics and fingerprints of children on identification cards that are then kept at home by the parent or guardian. If ever needed, this I.D. Kit will give authorities vital information to assist their efforts to locate a missing child.

Temecula Catalina Island Masonic Lodge #524 assists with this program by ordering the kits, holding events and collecting the information free of charge.

For more information regarding this program or to request an event be held in your area please contact [email protected].