Free Fingerprint Identification Kits Offered by MetLife Auto & Home Help Keep Kids Safe
25 September 2000
Free Fingerprint Identification Kits Offered by MetLife Auto & Home Help Keep Kids Safe
WARWICK, R.I., Sept. 25 According to the latest figures
released by the FBI, 2,100 children are reported missing every day, with
approximately 750,000 missing children reports filed in 1999 alone, a slight
decrease from previous years.
To continue this downward trend and assist parents in maintaining
convenient, up-to-date records, MetLife Auto & Home is making free
Fingerprinting Identification Kits available on a national basis. The kits
contain a fingerprint chart, 'Printake' strips, towelettes, and an area for a
child's most recent photo and vital statistics (call 1-800-MET-LIFE).
"Our goal is to distribute these free identification kits to as wide an
audience as possible to raise awareness and help keep our communities safe,"
said MetLife Auto & Home's President and CEO Cathy Rein.
Experts agree that possessing up-to-date prints is an important proactive
measure to take in the event the unthinkable occurs. "When parents take the
time to professionally fingerprint their children, those prints become
invaluable to law enforcement agencies if the child is ever reported missing,"
says Julia Cartwright, director of Public Affairs for the National Center for
Missing & Exploited Children. "Hopefully you'll never have to use them, but,
like a fire extinguisher in your home, they're important resources to have,
just in case."
In fact, many law enforcement officials recommend taking TWO sets of
prints. "Keep one at home and provide your child's school department with the
other, " recommends Emil Mittendorf, a retired captain of the South Kingstown,
RI police department. "They can be kept as part of your child's school
records. That way, they're easily accessible. Also, it's a good idea to add
a lock of hair to the fingerprinting package, so that a DNA sample is also
available if needed."
Of course, there are other precautions that leading child safety experts
recommend parents take to lower the risk of their child becoming a statistic.
These precautions include:
-- Teaching your child their complete telephone number and address at an
early age.
-- Avoid placing your child's name on clothing and toys. A child is less
likely to fear a stranger that knows his or her name.
-- Keep an up-to-date photograph of your child handy, along with their
medical and dental history.
To support the Fingerprint ID campaign, MetLife Auto & Home is sponsoring
"Fingerprinting Days", working with local school communities and police
enforcement officials to give parents the opportunity to obtain professional
fingerprint samples. In October, the Davisville Elementary School in North
Kingstown, RI will hold the first clinic, followed by the Daniel Webster
Elementary School in Marshfield, MA in November.
"If we can make a difference in even one case, we will have been
successful," concludes Rein. "By helping parents feel more secure about their
children's safety, we are building upon MetLife's long history as a caring
corporate citizen."
Please note there is a limit of six Identification Kits per call. The
kits are available to large groups while supplies last by faxing requests to
(401) 827-3716. All requests should include the name of the contact person
and phone number.
MetLife Auto & Home is one of the nation's leading personal lines property
and casualty companies with nearly three million policies in force. For more
information about the wide variety of insurance products MetLife Auto & Home
provides in all 50 states and DC, contact your local MetLife Auto & Home
provider or authorized Independent Agent; visit MetLife's Web site at
http://www.metlife.com ; or call 1-800-422-4272.
Contact:
Ted Mitchell (401) 827-3236
tjmitchell@metlife.com
Anne Lipsitz (401) 827-2021
alipsitz@metlife.com