[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1564-E1565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 NATIONAL NIGHT OUT SUPPORTS THE NATIONAL CHILD IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEVIN BRADY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2003

  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the National 
Association of Town Watch and its National Night Out program for 
supporting the National Child Identification Program (NCIDP), a joint 
partnership between the American Football Coaches Association and the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide identification kits to 
parents and guardians to help locate missing children. In addition, I 
applaud the AFCA and the FBI in their efforts to register 2 million 
more children in the NCIDP by August 5, 2003, the same day that 
National Night Out will celebrate its 20th anniversary.
  The National Association of Town Watch (NATW), a national nonprofit 
community-crime prevention association located in Wynnewood, 
Pennsylvania, organizes the annual National Night Out. The National 
Night Out program develops relationships between local community and 
law enforcement officers in order to build safer and more secure 
neighborhoods to reduce crime, decreases local violence, and lowers the 
demand for drugs. NATW provides information, program support and 
technical assistance to local citizens and communities to support 
community-crime prevention. The National Night Out campaign involves 
citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, 
neighborhood organizations and local officials from 9,850 communities 
from all 50 States and U.S. territories. In all, 33 million people 
participated in National Night Out in 2002.
  I have participated in National Night Out several times and seen 
first hand its effectiveness in creating and supporting community crime 
watch programs. National Night Out has a greater presence in my State 
of Texas than any other state in the nation and the one in The 
Woodlands, Texas, my home town, has been named a national community-
watch award winner for several years running.
  As we all know, child safety and child protection have grown as 
important priorities for communities in recent years. Throughout its 
history, National Night Out has used its community crime-prevention 
message and its community-based networks to address major crime-related 
issues. National Night Out has proven to be a powerful tool for 
building stronger, safer neighborhoods, reaching more than 33 million 
Americans in nearly 10,000 cities and towns in 2002, making it the 
Nation's largest grassroots crime-prevention program.
  This year, National Night Out will support the NCIDP in its efforts 
to provide parents with I.D. kits to collect and keep specific 
information, such as fingerprints, that would give authorities vital 
information in cases of missing children. While more than 800,000 
children a year are estimated to be missing each year, less than 2 
percent of all parents had a copy of a child's fingerprints to use in 
case of emergency. This initiative can change that reality and help 
protect children.
  Mr. Speaker, supporting the NCIDP is just one example of the value of 
the National Night Out program and the important role of NATW.

[[Page E1565]]

National Night Out, which receives part of its funding from the Edward 
Byrne Memorial Grant program, is one of the fastest growing, cost 
effective community anti-crime programs in the nation. I understand the 
value of National Night Out and, as a result, have asked appropriators 
on the Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary Appropriations 
Subcommittee to support National Night Out funding.
  Mr. Speaker, for consideration by my colleagues, I have enclosed a 
memorandum on the NCIDP from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to 
mayors across the United States explaining this year's National Night 
Out initiative in more detail. I respectfully request that it be 
included in the Record.
                                            Department of Justice,


                              Federal Bureau of Investigation,

                                   Clarksburg, WV, April 11, 2003.
     Re community call to action.

                     Letter to All Honorable Mayors

       According to a U.S. Department of Justice study, about 
     58,200 children are abducted each year by non-family members 
     with about 45 percent of those incidents being perpetrated by 
     strangers. This startling statistic caused the American 
     Football Coaches Association (NFL, NCAA, and high school 
     coaches nationwide) to launch the National Child 
     Identification Program (NCIDP). The FBI has partnered with 
     the Coaches Association in this not-for-profit program with 
     the goal of providing inkless fingerprint identification 
     (I.D.) kits far all 60 million children in the United States.
       The FBI is separately partnered with National Night Out 
     which recently has also partnered with the AFCA's National 
     Child lD Program in an effort to further increase awareness 
     for child safety. The National Association of Town Watch 
     introduced National Night Out, ``America's Night Out Against 
     Crime,'' in 1984 and continues to heighten awareness and 
     strengthen participation in anticrime efforts throughout 
     communities nationwide. National Night Out, the NCIDP, and 
     the FBI hope to set a record on August 5, 2003, for the most 
     ID kits distributed within a single day in history.
       In an effort to reach our goal, we are encouraging every 
     city across the U.S. to participate in the National Night Out 
     on Tuesday, August 5, 2003. Information for obtaining NCIDP's 
     inkless fingerprint ID kits for the National Night Out may be 
     found at its website http://www.nutw.org/nno/. The National 
     Night Out website provides you with complete information on 
     how to plan your event, as well as a way to obtain supplies, 
     including the child ID kit. Registration for the event is 
     free and once registered, you will receive an organizational 
     kit filled with ``how to'' materials such as: promotional 
     ideas, guidelines, tips, Q&As, camera-ready art, sample news 
     releases, and proclamations. Act quickly so that you do not 
     miss this opportunity to communicate the issues of safety 
     with your community on August 5, 2003. Registration is easy 
     and can be completed online by following these four easy 
     steps: Identify a Contact Person; go to the National Night 
     Out website http://www.nutw.org/nno/; register online, it's 
     free; and publicize your event.
       Many law enforcement agencies and corporations are 
     currently combining the distribution of the NCIDP kits with 
     other prevention, drug awareness, violence education, and 
     community outreach programs. For more information on the 
     NCIDP and how you can help protect children in your 
     community, visit their website at www.childidprogram.com or 
     call (234) 630-2245.
       It is paramount that we do all we can to ensure the safety 
     of our children. Your organization can be a prime vehicle in 
     that endeavor. Thank you for your help in this important 
     cause.

                                           John S. Hooks, Jr.,

                                        Deputy Assistant Director,
     Policy, Administrative and Liaison Branch.

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