Pierce Pepin IDs kids for nine years

• Bull and Schulz

Anna Bull, Hillcrest Elementary School, watches intently as Ellsworth Police Officer Zach Schulz takes her fingerprints.
• Foss and Kollbaum

Ellsworth Police Officer Darrin Foss explains the fingerprinting process to St. Francis first grader Samuel Kollbaum.
• Harmon and Strain

Derek Harmon, Plum City Elementary School, looks to the camera as Pierce County Officer Wade Strain positions his fingers for printing. -- Photos submitted

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Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) recently completed its ninth year of bringing the National Child ID Program to elementary schools in Pierce and Pepin counties.

By teaming with local law enforcement officials, the co-op was able to fingerprint 700 kindergarten and first grade students through this community service initiative.

The I.D. kits, provided by Pierce Pepin, are sent home to parents for safekeeping after fingerprinting. Specific information about the child can be completed by the parents, and samples collected with the DNA swab and preservation envelope. If a child goes missing, law enforcement authorities can use the child’s completed I.D. kit in a variety of ways to help locate the child.

“Pierce Pepin’s involvement in this effort is another example of our commitment to the communities we serve,” said Larry Dokkestul, Pierce Pepin President and CEO. “Through this outreach program, we are helping parents protect and ensure the safety of their children.”

Since Pierce Pepin launched the National Child ID Program in the spring of 2003, more than 5,800 children have been fingerprinted in Pierce and Pepin counties.

The National Child Identification Program was created by the American Football Coaches Association and is supported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. For more information about the program, go to www.childidprogram.com.

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