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Yonkers Police: Get An ID For Your Child

YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Yonkers police Detective Lt. Patrick McCormack told WCBS 880 the children's photographs and fingerprints will be taken, and parents will be issued ID cards for their children with that information.

"Obviously, in times of stress, when maybe a child may be missing, it's something that's readily accessible to the parent they can produce and give to a law enforcement officer, and we have some documented evidence on the child," McCormack said.

Statistics show 34 percent of parents in the United States do not even know their children's exact height, weight and eye color, police said. This can be a serious problem if a child is reported missing.

The statewide Safe Child program uses fingerprinting technology and high-resolution photography to produce IDs and make it more likely that lost children will be found.

"This program has been around for a while. A lot of agencies participate in it. We don't actually do it too often where we actually go out and set up a table. Parents can typically make appointments to come to our community affairs division and get a card," McCormack said. "But today, we're going to be at scene with the machines. People can just come in, fill out the paperwork, and we give them the card right there."

Yonkers police produced the IDs Saturday at tents at the Cross Country Shopping Center.

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