By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Parents who want to safeguard their children can do so this week at Southpoint Bank in Gardendale.

Operation Kidsafe will be on hand Friday and Saturday, fingerprinting children. The free service allows parents to provide law enforcement officials with necessary data in the event of an abduction.

Mark J. Bott, National Program Director of Operation Kidsafe, said the organization makes stops all U.S. Canada and Puerto Rico. The organization, based in Springfield, Ill., has fingerprinted more than 250,000 children in six years, Bott said.

He said Operation Kidsafe doesn’t ask for names or important information, and the only record of the visit goes home with a parent.

“Parents tend to readily give out their childrens’ information,” he said. “We recommend that you don’t give childrens’ information out to anyone, unless it’s a doctor or school. That way you know you’re safe.”

Bott said many organizations that compile confidential data on children sell the lists to other companies, but he said Operation Kidsafe does not.

The group provides parents with a document containing fingerprints of their child and are instructed to include a recent color photo. He said the photo should be updated over the years, but fingerprint stay the same.

Once a police officer receives the file from a parent in the case of an abduction, the fingerprints can be scanned into a national computer database, allowing officers to get to work on a case almost immediately.

Bott said the increasing prevalence of the Internet and Web sites like myspace have more parents concerned about the safety of their children. He said the Operation Kidsafe tour also gives parents a chance to talk to each other about safety concerns.

Bott is experienced in child safety matters, having been on the original AMBER (America’s Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response) Alert committee. The AMBER Alert system was established in response to the abduction and murder of Amber Hagerman in Texas in 1996.

The alerts are distributed through radio and television stations, in addition to e-mail and traffic condition signs on roadways.

He said though the outcome of Hagerman’s case was unfortunate, programs like AMBER Alert and Operation Kidsafe have helped shed light on the value of protecting children all over the world.

“What we do is just one more thing to help in that process,” he said.

Kent Howze, branch manager of the Southpoint Bank in Gardendale, said he was excited about Operation Kidsafe’s visit and said the visit corresponds with a number of activities planned for this weekend.

“We really wanted to do something where we could serve the community,” Howze said. “We hope they will never have to use the Kidsafe card.”

Southpoint will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday at 11:30 a.m., and will also feature inflatables, free drinks and giveaways. Saturday’s events will include a clown visit and a coloring contest.

Operation Kidsafe be fingerprinting from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information, visit www.kidsafeprint.com.