The FBI this week unveiled a child safety app that you will hopefully never have to use. The agency’s Child ID App allows parents to create a file for their children that will allow for easy access to vital information in the event that they go missing.
When children disappear, one of the first things police need are photographs and stats like height and weight, which can be distributed to other officers or used to send out an AMBER Alert. The FBI’s app will allow you to quickly pull up that data and share it with police; there is also the option to email stats to the authorities or call 911 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“You have a much better chance of recovering a child if you can get that information into the hands of law enforcement very quickly,” FBI spokesman Michael Lilly said in a Friday podcast.
Child ID is the first FBI-created app and the agency said it hopes to create more in the future. At this point, the Child ID app is only available in the Apple App Store, but the FBI said it plans to expand to other mobile OSes. In the coming weeks, the FBI will also add the ability to upload photos stored elsewhere on your phone to the app.
The app also includes tips on keeping kids safe as well as tips on what to do in the first few hours a child goes missing. The FBI is working with the American Football Coaches Association and the National Child Identification Program on the app. The NCIA provides a physical kit that lets you gather your child’s fingerprints and DNA, and AFCA is producing a public service announcement about the app.
The FBI stressed that it is not collecting or storing any photos. All data resides solely on the app.
