Identification kits

No fear strikes parents more deeply than their children falling to harm. In that, everyone understands a desire to do what can be done to ensure children are safe. So while the identification kits being distributed by Skowhegan police are most useful after a tragic event, they are also handy reminders that children need to be told and retold about acting safely.

Skowhegan police propose giving some 1,500 kits to all students within School Administrative District 54, and annually to the 200 new students the district sees. The Skowhegan Lions Club has agreed to buy the kits. Each kit would contain an area for personal identification, as well as a photograph, fingerprints, dental records and DNA samples, such as strands of hair. For after-the-fact identification, they sound extraordinarily thorough.

Similar kits are available on the Web from McGruff the Crime Dog and the Polly Klaas Foundation, among others. And as police point out, it is conceivable the information could be used to rescue a child who has been abducted, either by a stranger or a parent. The information could, too, prove useful for identifying remains.

The kits should not establish a false sense of security, but stick them in the drawer along with the checkbook and household bills and they serve a regular reminder of that, however unlikely the occurrence, tragedy can happen even in safe communities. They are the spur for teaching one’s children about the dangers of talking to strangers, for instance, or accepting rides not approved by parents.

No kit can replace reliably supervising a child, bring a child home or back to life. But they can be a definite help in reminding parents that they need to proactively protect their children, and that gives them value beyond identification.