Parents get child ID kits at Cape movie theater

Parents went to Cape West 14 Cine on Saturday to get something they hope they will never need.

The Missouri Masonic Children's Foundation held the second of two events for the Missouri Child Identification Program, or MOCHIP.

The free program provided identification kits to parents of 413 children. The program provided digital photographs, digital fingerprints, child information and emergency contacts, dental bite impressions to collect DNA samples and two laminated ID cards. All are items that could help police in case a child goes missing or is abducted.

"Unfortunately this is needed. It gives people peace of mind," said Jon Broyles of Ballwin, Mo., a Masonic Children's Foundation board member who led Saturday's event.

While needed, the program has at least done away with mess usually involved in taking fingerprints with ink. Broyles said the digital fingerprints, created by simply pressing a child's finger onto the surface of the scanner, are FBI-level scanners. He called the bank of tables equipped with about a dozen computers "state-of-the-art child identification equipment."

The setup required the width of the theater's lobby. The process started with paperwork that's entered into a computer, followed by two profile photos of the child and digital fingerprints. Then the child bit down onto a plastic surface for 10 seconds to collect enough saliva for a DNA sample and provide a scent-tracking sample for canine searches. For small children, a Q-tip swabbed inside the mouth was used to collect saliva.

The information was recorded onto a mini-CD for parents. At the end of the event, computers were erased using state-of-the-art software. The only trace that remains with the foundation is the permission slip signed by a parent.

Bill Yuede of Cape Girardeau took less than an hour to get an identification kit for his 9-year-old daughter. "I never thought about it before," he said. "But it's nice to have just in case."

Parents were advised to keep the brown envelope containing their child's identification in a safe place like a home fireproof box, easily accessible should it be needed quickly.

Broyles said that in a presentation made by the foundation, Ron Kruger, Wehrenberg's owner, expressed interest in having the program administered at Cape Girardeau.

"We provide the equipment, and the local Masonic groups including Job's Daughters, De Molays, Eastern Stars and Masons, provide the volunteer hours," Broyles said. "From September 2005 to 2006 the foundation provided kits for 7,000 children. Since October 2006 to present they've provided 8,000 kits. The projection for this year is about 25,000 children. It is a very well-received program."

The event was sponsored by Harold O. Grauel Lodge 672 and St. Mark's Lodge 93.

The first area MOCHIP event was held Jan. 27 and drew 397 children.

For more information about upcoming MOCHIP events, visit www.mochip.org/calendar.php.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133