Operation SAFE CHILD

The Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office participates in the Governor's state-wide initiative Operation SAFE CHILD program.

To date over 7000 children in Rensselaer County have participated in the program. This program is offered to all schools in Rensselaer County as well as all public events.

Community Program Request Form (PDF)

Program Goals & Processes

• The program provides Photo ID cards containing fingerprint and biographical data, to individuals under the age of 18.
• The goal of this program is to record and store the fingerprints, basic biographical information and photographs of children who are not missing - information critical to expediting the return of a missing child.
• Operation SAFE CHILD will be available to interested parents and families statewide and is entirely voluntary.
• The storage of information will require the written consent of a parent or legal guardian. The information gathered will be digitally recorded and stored at a separate database at New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services.
• In the event DCJS receives a missing child report, the fingerprints of that child will be included in a special search file and compared against all incoming fingerprints submitted to DCJS.
• Once included in the database, parents or lawful guardians can request that information be purged at any time and, after a missing child turns 18, the fingerprints will be purged from the database.