By: Timothy Frith
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect views of the Journal, the William H. Bowen School of Law, or UA Little Rock
Children go missing every day, and Arkansas has implemented a program that will help law enforcement and parents locate the missing children at no cost to the parents. This has become a problem nationwide, and many organizations have created resources for parents of missing children. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, www.missingkids.org, https://www.missingkids.org/home (last visited Jan. 31, 2024). Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced the start of the Arkansas Child ID program in an attempt to keep children safe in Arkansas. Attorney General Griffin Announces Arkansas Child ID Program, Arkansas Attorney General, Jan. 30, 2024 https://arkansasag.gov/news_releases/attorney-general-griffin-announces-arkansas child-id-program/The program is in collaboration with law enforcement and is meant to alleviate some of the terror parents can feel in this situation. Id. This program will hopefully result in every parent obtaining the kits that this program provides. If this happens, locating the missing children will be a much easier task, and will help law enforcement bring the missing children back to their parents safely.
1,000 kids go missing every day, and the Child ID program will provide kits to the parents that will help local law enforcement locate missing children. Id. Each kit includes an ink-less fingerprinting kit, a DNA sample collection, physical identification information, the location of medical records, a place for a recent photo, and easy-to-use instructions. Id. These kits are distributed through the school’s local sheriff’s office and are available to parents and children at no cost. Id. The National Child Identification Program has distributed over 70 million kit and is now ready to begin distribution in Arkansas.National Child ID Program, What Is The National Child Identification Program?, https://childidprogram.com/ (last visited Jan. 30, 2024).
This program is meant to help parents in what may be considered their darkest hour, and General Griffin’s implementation of this program is an effort to help these parents. Having a program available at no cost to parents and schools is something that every state should strive to have in place. Arkansas also has the Never Forgotten Database readily available to help the public access information about missing persons in Arkansas. Missing Persons, Arkansas Attorney General, https://arkansasag.gov/public-safety/missing-persons/ (last visited Jan. 30, 2024). According to the database, there are currently 502 missing people, and some of them are children. Arkansas Crime Information Center, Missing Persons Search https://www.neverforgotten.ar.gov/Home/Search?EyeColorID=&FromAge=…&GenderID=&HairColorID=&Name=&PageNumber=4&ReportedCity=&ReportedMissingF romDate=&ReportedMissingToDate=&RaceID=&ToAge (last visited Jan. 30, 2024).
From October to December alone, seven children went missing in Springdale, and the time to help these families is now. Lisa Lindsey, 7 Kids Have Now Gone Missing in Arkansas Since October, KKYR, Dec. 12, 2023 https://kkyr.com/7-kids-missing-in-arkansas/.
If this program had been in place at the time these children went missing, these kits could have led law enforcement and the parents to locate these children sooner. The kits would have allowed law enforcement access to information that kits could have led law enforcement and the parents to locate these children sooner. The kits would have allowed law enforcement access to information that could have identified these children. This has become a necessity in today’s world, especially with the emergence of the internet.
Arkansas is taking the right stance by implementing programs that will help locate missing children throughout the state. The next logical step is to have states and the federal government work collaboratively to implement more protections and resources for parents, children, and caretakers to help prevent children from going missing. The Child ID Program will only bolster the available avenues for parents and caretakers to locate missing children. This is a program meant to help all Arkansans and will give those seeking to find missing children a resource that will help find and protect these children.