Code Amber

NEW! May 13, 2007... Second generation software, greater capacity & lower prices!

The new version collects all of the information for Children, Adults and your Pets on one stick.. Code Amber endorses, and is your source for, the Amber stick, the first and only fully portable Child Identification system.

The Amber stick (tm) is the next generation of Child ID software. It is fully contained on a USB Flash drive so there is no software to download and install.

New lower price. The Version 2 Amber Stick is only $29.95 with free shipping.

Our sponsor, DNAPrint Genomics, also provides a DNA Analysis in PDF format which can be uploaded to the Amber Stick through an additional feature added to the new Version 2 software. Click the DNAPrint logo on any Code Amber page for complete information on this leading edge new product.

For more information on the Amber stick (tm), and to order through Code Amber, please visit http://codeamber.org/idkits.html?nl

The software on the USB drive is password protected and the data is completely encrypted to ensure your privacy. If the USB device is lost the data is unreadable without the password which you set when you first use the software (the password can be changed at anytime).

Simply plug the USB drive into your computer (all computers made in the last 10 years have at least one USB port) and the software automatically starts and prompts for the password. Enter your data and up to three photographs of each child, pet or person you want to protect and done.

The Amber stick will hold information on up to 100 individuals.

If a child or person goes missing you simply hand the USB device to the police officer and give them the password to the software. Almost all police cars now have an onboard laptop computer which is connected to the police station over a wireless network so the critical information is available to the entire department within minutes. No more searching for a photograph to scan or the need for the officer to take critical descriptive information by hand.

Missing persons and Missing pets flyers can be printed at the click of the mouse as well.

For more information on the Amber stick (tm), and to order through Code Amber, please visit http://codeamber.org/idkits.html?nl

All sales help to fund the daily operation of Code Amber.

Volume discounts are available. Please contact us for details at admin@codeamber.org .

If you have a Version 1 Amber Stick contact us for details on upgrading your software to Version 2 at no charge.

Safety N.E.T. Kids DVD still only $14.95.

Code Amber has fully endorsed the Safety NET Kids video since we first reviewed it in November 2003. You can read more about it on our Featured Sites ( http://codeamber.org/featured.html ) page as well as some other reviews and endorsements.

The video runs 30 minutes and covers topics such as how to recognize and avoid a dangerous stranger, what to do if a stranger comes to the door or calls while your child is home alone and much more.

For more information please visit http://codeamber.org/video.html

One of the most important tools for law enforcement to use in the case of a missing child is an up-to-date, good-quality photograph. Noted below are some tips for parents and guardians regarding such a photograph.

Click HERE for more information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

The photograph should be a recent, head-and-shoulders color photograph of the child in which the face is clearly seen. It should be of ”school-portrait” quality, and the background should be plain or solid so it does not distract from the subject.
When possible the photograph should be in a digitized form, and available on a compact disk (CD), as opposed to just a hard copy. This minimizes the time necessary to scan, resize, and make color corrects before disseminating it to law enforcement.
The photograph should be an accurate depiction of the child, not overly posed or “glamorized.” Nor should other people, animals, or objects be in the photograph. The photograph should not be taken outside, out of focus, torn, damaged, or very small.
The photograph should have space for accurate, narrative description useful to identify the child such as name, nickname, height, weight, sex, age, eye color, identifying marks, glasses, and braces.
The photograph should be updated at least every six months for children 6 years of age or younger and then once a year, or when a child's appearance changes.
All copies of child’s photograph and information should be maintained in an easily accessible, secure space by the parents or guardian. The photograph and data should not be stored in a public database.

Child abduction data sketchy

Safety│Experts say the lack of reliable statistics causes unnecessary worry for parents

By David Crary

The Oregonian

Saturday. January 20.2007

NEW YORK — Few crimes rivet the public as much as the abduction of a child and yet−unlike murder, rape or even car theft−there are no authoritative statistics on the offense.

Kidnapping is not among the crimes covered by the FBI’s annual uniform crime reports, and the last major federal study of child abductions used data from 1999, leaving experts to only guess the trends since then even as concern mounts about a possible surge of abductions by sexual predators using the Internet.

The Justice Department says the most recent nationwide data on child abductions is National Incidence Studies of Missing Abducted, Runaway and Throwaway Children, a report issued in 2002 and based on survey data mostly collected in 1999.

That report estimated that 58,200 children annually are victims of nonfamily abductions, with the vast majority held briefly for any number of reasons−a dispute between girlfriend and boyfriend for instance−and returned safely, often without the filing of a police report.

The report estimated that there were 115 cases in 1999 of “stereotypical kidnappings” in which children were taken by nonfamily members for long periods, put up for ransom or killed by their abductors. In 40 percent of these cases, the child was killed.

However, the report said the actual number of stereotypical kidnappings could be anywhere from 60 to 170, and there has been no comprehensive federal effort to update the statistic.

University of New Hampshire sociologist David Finkeihor, a co-author of the 2002 report, believes the number of stereotypical kidnappings is stable or declining. But he remains dismayed at the lack of firm statistics to corroborate his suppositions and allay parents’ fears.

The Justice Department, using partial national statistics, estimated last year that 3,400 kidnappings of juveniles by strangers were reported to police in 2001. These would include many short-lasting abductions.

Police departments also are required to file prompt reports on any missing child, but these reports often do not provide details on whether an abductor might be involved.

Ernie Allen, president of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said his organization is working with the Justice Department to develop a method for compiling data missing and abducted children. Allen also surmises that worst-case “stereotypical kidnappings” have declined in recent years, but he worries about a possible increase as more sexual predators use the Internet to contact youthful targets.

Code Amber now endorses, and is your source for, the Amber stick, the first and only fully portable Child Identification sstem.

t The Amber Stick^® is the next generation of Child ID software. It is fully contained on a USB Flash drive so there is no software to download and install.

t The software on the USB drive is password protected and the data is completely encrypted to ensure your privacy. If the USB device is lost the data is unreadable without the password which you set when you first use the software (the password can be changed at anytime).

t Simply plug the USB drive into your computer (all computers made in the last 10 years have at least one USB port) and the software automatically starts and prompts for the password. Enter your data and up to three photographs of each child, pet, or person you want to protect. The Amber stick will hold information on up to 100 individuals.

t If a child or person goes missing you simply hand the USB device to the police officer and give them the password to the software. Almost all police cars now have an onboard laptop computer which is connected to the police station over a wireless network so the critical information is available to the entire department within minutes.

t No more searching for a photograph to scan or the need for the officer to take critical descriptive information by hand.

t Missing persons and missing pets flyers can be printed at the click of the mouse as well.

For more information on the Amber stick,^® and to order through Code Amber,

please visit http://codeamber.org/idkits.html?nl

All sales help to fund the daily operation of Code Amber.

Volume discounts are available. Please contact us for details at admin@codeamber.org .