[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
As the festivities of Dover Days lent a carefree air to the center of town, State Police Trooper Matthew Guarino diligently worked on a computer. One by one, families with young children approached to have photographs snapped, fingerprints scanned, and vital information taken. Trooper Guarino was on hand as part of the AMBER Alert Safe Child ID Program, hosted by the Dover Police Association in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Police.
"Today, we're preparing child identification kits," said Trooper Nicole Morrell. "What that involves is getting information on a child - their name, date of birth, height, weight - descriptive information that would help find a child if they were to be reported missing or abducted."
Perhaps most impressively, the information collected at the event was handed right back to the parents, allaying any concerns about privacy.
"It isn't a statewide database," explained Trooper Morrell. "We put the information on a USB drive, and that information is then given to the parent. We do not keep any of that information."
In the event of an emergency, Trooper Morrell assured, a parent could then utilize the USB drive to aid in their child's swift, safe return. "That can go to any police department across the country," she said of the USB drive. "[The parent] would be able to hand it to whatever responding officer was there and be able to upload the information. One out of six children is recovered because of their picture."
With the town - and many of its littlest residents - out in full force, Dover Days seemed a perfect time to sign everyone up for the program. It was, in fact, a calculated move. "We actually have three events going today," remarked Trooper Morrell. "One in Dover, one in Woburn, and one in Concord."
It was an excellent strategy. Here in front of the American Legion building, a steady stream of families were taking time out from their fun mornings in the interest of safety.
"I actually grew up in Dover," said resident Andre Boudreau. "[The AMBER Alert program] is something that we heard was coming, so we actually planned to come to Dover Days for it. It's something all parents would want to know about. It's kind of an extra step you take."
Ellie Beasley, another Dover resident who had brought her family for the free ID kit, concurred. "The officer was saying that when you do this, you hopefully won't have to use it," she stated. "But should sometime terrible happen, you're prepared."
"Our AMBER Alert program has been in existence since 2002. We had 26 alerts since then, and we have recovered 34 children. 100 percent success rate," said Trooper Morrell.
"It's a great tool," she concluded.
