The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Police make ID kits to protect children

Instead of playing outside in the warm spring weather, about 230 area children were giving fingerprints, photos and personal information Saturday afternoon.

Project Kid Care is a free annual program for parents to gather an updated information kit in case their child is lost or kidnapped and it has been hosted at University Mall, 1201 E. Main St., for several years.

Officer Dan Reed of the Carbondale Police Department said the kit is like a passport for parents to keep in a safe place. He said height, weight, eye color, address, fingerprints and a picture are included to provide to police in case something drastic happens.

Reed said all information is kept private and the police department does not keep any records.

Debbie Tindall, general manager of the mall, said the program is an outreach to the community, and that it is very important for the mall, police and the community to work together.

Jennifer Hill, who brought her 2-year-old son Joshua to the mall for the program, said Kid Care is good not just because of conditions in the world, but also because her son is a "runner" and is often on the move. She said Joshua is the only son she has and she is taking precautions to make sure she keeps him.

Kamden Summers and her 4-year-old son, Sedric, participated in Kid Care Saturday afternoon. She said any parent hates to think about their child being lost, but the program helps bring her some comfort and peace of mind that police will have an easier time finding him if something happened. She said her son was excited to come to the mall and see the police officers.

Reed said about 20 volunteers were present at any given time. Members of the Student Alumni Council, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Alpha Phi Omega and the Rotary Club-Breakfast all had volunteers at the event.

Kelli Clifford, a junior in psychology and member of the sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma, was taking Polaroid photographs of the children for the kits. She said the organization was looking for what it could do as an RSO to help children and the community.

"We're just trying to do this to get more involved in the campus and community," Clifford said.

Jill Digiacomo, who is also a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma, manned a desk with information and stickers for children and parents. She estimated between 20 and 25 members of her sorority came to volunteer for the project.

Jim Calloway and Blanche Sloan were volunteers with the Rotary Club-Breakfast. Sloan said the organization always does community service when given the opportunity and Calloway said he has used the Kid Care program in the past.

"I have kids and we did this when they were young," Calloway said.

Jamie Walker said she was shopping with her 3-year-old, Lauren, and wanted to take part in the program because of recent kidnappings, such as that of Salt Lake kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.

Smart was found nine months after her abduction and two have been arrested in connection with the disappearance.

"It scares me to death to think someone would take my little girl," Walker said.

Lauren's hands were small enough to get an entire palm print from each hand on paper, at which point she held the sheet up to her mother and said "look at me." Walker said if her daughter were not at the mall making the identification kit, she would probably be playing outside.

One officer working at the project also used the program for her 5-year-old. Amber Goddard, of the Carbondale Police, said she participated in Kid Care "just in case."

She said being an officer does make her more aware of what could happen to her child and because of it her child has been trained to be leery of strangers.

Mirta Kozlowski brought her two sons Christopher and Neil, aged 5 and 16 months, to get ID kits after participating in a fun run at Evergreen Park. She said she was uncomfortable about getting the kits made because of the thought of what could happen.

"I don't want to ever use it, but I want to get one just to be on the safe side," Kozlowski said.

Reporter Greg Cima can be reached at gcima@dailyegyptian.com