Public-Private Partnership Including NFL Alumni and National Child Identification Program provides parents prevention tools should their child ever go missing.
Bourbonnais, IL – The Bourbonnais Police Department announced that it is working with various partners including NFL Alumni and the National Child ID Program to provide approx. 1500 kits to families within its jurisdiction.
Police departments across Illinois and the National Child Identification Program are providing 120,000 free inkless at-home child ID kits to Illinois families in 2023. The ID kits include an inkless fingerprint solution, DNA storage, a place for medical/dental records, and a section to provide details about a child’s physical description.
The kits are part of a public-private partnership which includes the Illinois Chiefs of Police, the Illinois Attorney General’s office, Exelon, IBEW, NFL Alumni Association and other partners.
Every day, over 1,000 children go missing nationally. Missing children disproportionately affect minority populations as nationally African American children account for 38% of runaways, and yet only 13% of the adolescent population and nearly 2/3s of reports in the City of Chicago.
“The Child ID Program is providing an invaluable resource for families and investigative entities that are faced with the unthinkable, the loss of a child. Having a Child ID Kit is like having an insurance policy. It is something that every parent should have but you pray that you will never need,” said Mitchell Davis, Chief of Police, Hazel Crest Police Department, Chairman of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Committee and Past President of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police
“It is an honor to work with Illinois Police Chiefs to provide this gift of safety to so many families. These inkless ID kits are provided at no-cost to Illinois families thanks to partners like Exelon and IBEW. National Child ID kits do not enter a database and provide parents with a starting point for a proper safety gameplan should their child ever go missing,” said Kenny Hansmire, Executive Director of the National Child Identification Program.
"In football and in parenting, playing defense is all about preparation. It’s important to be prepared not scared. Parents need to be prepared for what seems like the impossible. When 1,000 children go missing every day, it is not impossible. This inkless Child ID Kit is a gamechanger. It allows parents to keep their child’s vital information at home in case of an emergency and be prepared for the impossible,” said Mike Singletary, Chicago Bears legend and Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bourbonnais Police will be present at National Night Out Tuesday, August 1st, 3:30pm-9:00pm, at Perry Farm Park. Visit with officers and receive your free Child ID Kit. Learn more about the program here.
