The Travis County Sheriff’s Office wants to give parents better tools to protect their children.
Every year thousands of children are abducted, and local law enforcement officials are encouraging parents to have vital information on hand. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office held a community clinic last Tuesday for parents to make child ID kits.
"We'll fingerprint your child for you and then you take a DNA sample of your like a hair or swab the inside of their mouth and put it in the freezer," Deputy Jeff Givens said.
That vital information is made instantly available to law enforcement agencies in the event of a worse-case scenario.
Every year more than 800,000 children go missing in the United States. That's one every 40 seconds. The majority are taken by a family member. Officials say every parent should have an ID kit.
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ID kits
The sheriff’s office held a community clinic for parents to create ID kits for their children.
 
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Deputies also talked about teen dating violence to help break the cycle of violence.
"Basically what this program is, is it makes teenagers aware of whether or not they're in a violent relationship. And also educates parents in on what to recognize. Then later on, when they get involved in a relationship as adults they can have healthier relationships,” Givens said.
The community clinics are part of Sheriff Greg Hamilton’s outreach efforts to create a positive relationship between the sheriff’s office and the public.
"[Abduction] is a concern in the United States, not just here in Travis County, and this is just one of newest initiatives," Hamilton said.
