FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FBI TO PARTICPIATE IN A CHILD PROTECTION FAIR TO BE HELD
ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2007, IN SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA

On Saturday, September 15, 2007, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will partner with the Trinity United Methodist Church, Southport, North Carolina (NC), to distribute free National Child Identification Program I.D. Kits during a Child Protection Fair. The event will be held in Murrow Hall at the Trinity United Methodist Church located at 209 E. Nash Street in Southport, NC, across the street from the Southport Post Office.

Staff from the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division, Clarksburg, West Virginia (WV), will be on hand to distribute the free National Child Identification Program I.D. Kits to all parents and guardians who attend the Fair. The I.D. Kit includes an easy-to-use swab to take and store a small DNA sample. Additionally, the FBI staff will provide free fingerprinting and will take free color identification photos of children 5 years of age and above. All records obtained will be given to the parents or guardians and will not be kept on file by the FBI or any other agency.

The National Child Identification Program I.D. Kits and the fingerprinting and photographing will provide parents and guardians with a copy of their child's fingerprints, a DNA sample, and a record of other identifying information to maintain as a permanent record in the event of a disaster, foul play, or a runaway situation involving their child.

In addition to the distribution of the I.D. Kits and the fingerprinting and photography, there will be displays and demonstrations by members of the Southport Police Department and the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, including the D.A.R.E. vehicle, the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) command vehicle, a K-9 dog, and an emergency response vehicle. Brunswick County Sheriff Ronald E. Hewett and Southport Chief of Police Jerry Dove will participate in the opening ceremony, which will begin at 9:00 a.m.

The National Child Identification Program was started by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in 1997, and the FBI has been a partner in this program since 2001. The National Child Identification Program is the largest child identification effort ever conducted, and the goal of the program is to reach all 60 million children in the U.S.

For further information regarding this event, including media access, please contact Special Agent Newsom Summerlin, the Media Representative for the Charlotte Division of the FBI, at the following telephone numbers: 704-331-4565 (office) or 704-604-5903 (cellular).