Amber Alert awareness, abduction prevention education, and the preparation of digital child identification kids were all main points of focus at the fair. Also, an internet safety presentation for parents and children was made by the State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
A mom and child line up for an ID kit.
Massachusetts state troopers collaborated with troopers from Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Maine, as well as officers from the Springfield Police Department. The troopers prepared fingerprints and digital identification kits for parents to use in the event that their child goes missing or is abducted. The fair was free of charge to those in attendance with a child, thanks to the generosity of the Hall of Fame as well as Pride Gas station. Former Boston Celtics guard Dana Barros made an appearance, and various children's activities were held throughout the program.
For the second consecutive year, troopers and officers distributed DNA buccal swab kits. These swab kits are used to collect and store a sample of a child's skin cells that can be used to confirm the child's identity through DNA comparison. The distributed kits are maintained by the child's parent or guardian for safekeeping. They may be stored in a refrigerator for up to three years.
National AMBER Alert Awareness Day honors the memory of Amber Hagerman, a nine-year-old girl who was abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas on January 13, 1996. The AMBER Alert system activates an urgent bulletin in the most serious child abduction case in an effort to galvanize the entire community to assist in the search and safe recovery of the child. Over the years, the AMBER Alert system has proven to represent the best hope for the safe recovery of abducted children. It is responsible for, or has assisted in, the recovery of 495 children nationwide to date. Since its inception in Massachusetts, there have been 15 AMBER Alert activations that have recovered 23 abducted children. The safe recovery of these children was ensured by these activations. The success of the AMBER Alert program sends a strong message that crime against our children is grossly unacceptable and that as a society, we will work together to track down perpetrators who prey on children and safely recover the children they intend to harm.
A young visitor to the AMBER Alert Day makes a new friend - a member of the State Police K-9 Section.
The 2011 Amber Alert Poster Contest officially began at the event. The United States Department of Justice sponsors this annual poster contest that challenges fifth grade students to develop posters that represent America's united goal of bringing missing children home safely. The winning poster from each state is displayed at the National Missing children's Day Ceremony held in May. Once a national winner is determined, they travel to Washington D.C. along with his/her parents and teacher to receive an award and participate in the National Missing Children's Day Ceremony.
Colonel McGovern, one of the pioneers of the AMBER Alert program in Massachusetts, speaks to attendees.
