Community
The Illinois AMBER Plan Task Force continues to work to develop child abduction prevention instruction for inclusion in elementary and secondary school curricula throughout the State. In addition, ISP and the AMBER Task Force will work with the State Board of Education to encourage the inclusion of the child abduction prevention instruction in private elementary and secondary school curricula throughout Illinois
Child Safety Tools
This Activity book for children was created by the Illinois State Police as a tool to teach younger children about safety concepts
The NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational safety resource that teaches kids and teens how to stay safer on the Internet.
http://www.netsmartz.org/Parents
Honeywell's Got 2B Safe! program was created to teach elementary school children four critical rules to help protect them from abduction and sexual exploitation.
Got 2B Safe! has been distributed to more than 72,000 schools elementary schools in the United States and all program materials are available online.
http://www.got2bsafe.com/
NetSmartz411® is a first-of-its-kind online service provided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® to answer questions about Internet safety, computers and the Web.
The public — especially parents and guardians — can search the NetSmartz411 library for answers to their questions and contact NCMEC staff to ask specific questions about online safety and the Internet.
All research and answers provided by NetSmartz411 are written by skilled professionals who work in the Exploited Children Division at NCMEC. These individuals are trained to understand the Internet, areas of emerging technologies, and are well-versed in the online techniques used by people who may try to harm children online.
NetSmartz411 is provided at no cost to the public and made possible by generous donations from CenturyLink™ and CA Technologies®. It is powered by CA's Unicenter® Service Desk.
www.NetSmartz411.org
One of the most important tools for law enforcement when searching for a missing child is an up-to-date, good quality photo along with descriptive information. A Child ID kit is a simple yet effective tool to help families maintain current photos of and descriptive information about their children.
http://www.missingkids.com/ChildID
Take 25® is a national child safety campaign of the National Center for Missing Exploited Children encouraging families to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety and abduction prevention. The goal of Take 25 is to heighten awareness about child safety issues.
http://www.missingkids.com/Take25
Google's Family Safety Center is a one-stop shop for information about staying safer online. The website includes advice from leading child safety organizations around the world, tips and ideas from parents at Google, and information about how to use the safety tools and controls built into Google products.
http://www.google.com/goodtoknow/familysafety/
Get Game Smart is designed to provide families with tools and resources to manage their children's gaming and entertainment experiences.
http://www.getgamesmart.com/
Return to top
Tips For Parents
The following tips are precautionary measures that parents can do to help ensure their children’s safety…
- Keep a complete description of your child.
- Take color photographs of your child every six months.
- Keep copies of your child’s fingerprints.
- Keep a sample of your child’s DNA.
- Know where your child’s medical records are located.
- Have your dentist prepare and maintain dental charts for your child.
What to do if your child is missing
- Immediately call your local law enforcement agency.
- After you have reported your child missing to law enforcement, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST(1-800-843-5678).
- If your child is missing from home, search through:
- Closets.
- Piles of laundry.
- In and under beds.
- Inside large appliances.
- Vehicles – including trunks.
- Anywhere else that a child may crawl or hide
- Limit access to you home until law enforcement arrives and has the opportunity to collect possible evidence.
- Notify the store manager or security office if your child cannot be found when in a store. Then immediately call your local law enforcement agency. Many stores have a Code Adam plan of action in place.
When you call law enforcement:
- Provide law enforcement with your child’s name, date of birth, height, weight and descriptions of any other unique identifiers such as eyeglasses and braces. Tell them when you noticed your child was missing and what clothing he or she was wearing. If you have any fingerprints or photographs provide them to law enforcement at this time.
- Request law enforcement authorities immediately enter your child’s name and identifying information into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center Missing Person File.
Return to top
Sign up for Email AMBER Alerts
If you would like to sign up to receive an email when an Illinois AMBER Alert is activated, click here:
Return to top
Annual 5th Grade Poster Contest
2012 winner: Catrina P. Woodson Elementary School, Chicago
Each year the Illinois AMBER Alert Task Force sponsors a poster contest for 5th Grade students. We ask you to join us in our efforts to educate Illinois children about safety issues by giving students an opportunity to participate in this poster contest highlighting the efforts to reunite children with their families. The theme for the poster contest is “Bringing Our Missing Children Home.” The poster contest begins each year on January 13th which is AMBER Alert Awareness Day. A complete packet of information relating to the poster contest can be found on the Illinois AMBER Alert Task Force website, http://mecptraining.org/poster-contest/poster-contest-resources/ . Deadline for the state contest submissions is March 15th.
One winner will be announced in May and displayed on the Illinois AMBER Alert website. The winning poster will advance on to the U.S. Department of Justice’s national poster contest with a chance to travel to Washington, DC. and receive an award at the National Missing Children’s Day Ceremony. More information about the national poster contest can be found at DOJ’s website http://mecptraining.org/poster-contest/
Thank you in advance for your assistance and support. Together we can insure the safety and security of children across the country.
you have any questions or need any additional information, please send an email to isp.missing@illinois.gov or call the Illinois Clearinghouse for Missing Children at 1-800-843-5763
Please forward you submissions to :
Illinois AMBER Plan Task Force
Child Safety Coordinator
Illinois State Police
2200 S. Dirksen Pkwy., Ste. 238
Springfield, Illinois 62703-4528
isp.missing@illinois.gov
Return to top