Technology to Protect Our Children

Technology to Protect Our Children

Last year I was browsing in one of my favorite Home Depot stores with my 6 year old daughter. As we walked, my focus shifted to a sale on Dewalt power tools. I always wanted a DeWalt drill but the prices normally forced me to buy the Craftsman or Ryobi brands. As I browsed over the various tools, looking at their features and scoping the price tags I turned to my daughter and said “What do you think Liv?” She was not there. She had been right next to me and now she’s gone. As I started down the aisle I began to panic. Up one aisle and down the other I scrambled to no avail. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I found her. She had wandered into the kitchen and bath area and thought it would be funny to hide from daddy in a large bathtub display. I scolded her for running off but she didn’t really understand. How do I explain to my 6 year old daughter that there are bad people out there that would take her away from me and do unspeakable things to her? I knew that in the future I needed to keep a closer watch on her but what about when I’m not there. What if she’s grabbed at school or wanders off on a field trip? There’s technology out there that can locate cars moments after they’re stolen and can even shut down their engines via satellite. However, if my little girl is stolen, her precious, innocent life could not be tracked down and found the same way my car could. My car is replaceable, my little girl is not. I feel that there should be a device that can track a kidnapped or lost child similar to a Lojack system employed for cars. I also feel that this device would be most effective as an implant to keep the child or the kidnappers from discovering it.

A child is abducted every 40 seconds in the United States. In 2001, 840,279 people (adults and children) were reported missing to the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC). The FBI estimates that 85 to 90 percent of those...