New invention safeguards businesses, individuals

by Nancy Hogland

A newly developed program can help parents protect the identity of their children, possibly preventing their abduction. Its inventor is counting on school districts and law enforcement agencies to help him put the program into place.

My Child Safeguard was developed by Bob Bira, the father of a small child, after he learned that last year law enforcement agencies were 620,000 times by parents who didn’t know the whereabouts of their children and that nearly every day, some 1,700 juveniles were entered in the Missing Persons database.

“The vast majority of parents write their child’s name on the back of his or her backpack. All they’re concerned about at the time is making sure little Johnnie gets his backpack back if he leaves it somewhere. But by doing that, they’re unknowingly increasing the chances of him becoming a victim of abduction because they’ve given a predator an easy way to approach their child,” he said. “With our system, parents who subscribe to our service are provided with tags that include a number to be called if the item is found, or their child is involved in an accident, becomes ill or is someone needs their parent immediately. When the call is made to the number, it is automatically forwarded to the parent’s cell phone, keeping that cell phone number private to protect the parent’s identify as well.”

Schools can also benefit by using Field Trip Safeguard, based on the same patent-pending service as My Contact411. The tool, purchased by districts, is designed to protect children’s identities and create a direct link to the teacher while off school property. An annual fee of $135 provides 30 bright yellow lanyards bearing a contact number assigned to the school. At the beginning of the trip, the teacher uses a code to access the system and enter his or her cell phone number so when the assigned number is dialed, the call is immediately forwarded to that teacher’s phone.

“On field trips, usually the kids wear name tags, matching T-shirts with their names printed on the back or lanyards around their necks bearing their names in nice bold letters for everyone to see, again making the child an easy mark for a predator who can walk up, know the child’s name and tell him or her that the teacher is looking for them. The child, who usually doesn’t know everyone that accompanies the class on the field trip, leaves with that person and is never seen again,” Bira said, adding that in addition to assisting in cases of separation, the program also protects the teacher’s identity by eliminating display of that teacher’s cell phone on the lanyards.

Bira said schools can take part in a cash-back program that will provide $10 for each family subscribing to the My Child Safeguard service.

The individual service also includes bright yellow wristbands imprinted with the same contact number for children to wear to such places at amusement parks, saving both parents and children frantic moments if the child gets separated from the family.

My Child Safeguard is a component of My Contact411, a fully automated system that allows subscribers, who are charged a fee of $5 per month, to be contacted on their cell phones in other instances as well. In addition to the wristbands and luggage-type tags, members are also provided with window decals and stickers that can be placed on their homes and businesses or on personal property such as phones or electronics.

Bira said after a law enforcement officer drove by his house, noticed the garage door was up and a truck that he hadn’t seen before was parked in the driveway, he walked up to my house, called the number on the sticker, and was immediately patched thru to Bira.

“I told him the truck belonged to my cleaning people. The matter was cleared up in minutes,” he said, adding that users can also register medical conditions, allergies, or other info to help in an emergency. “For instance, I posted a sticker on my parents’ home that links to my cell phone. That way if something happens to them, a neighbor or police can get in touch with me immediately.”

Bira said the service could be invaluable to second-home owners at the Lake.
“Imagine the peace of mind knowing that police can immediately get in touch with you no matter where you are to let you know if you’ve had a break in or fire,” he said, adding that he’s hoping that law enforcement agencies will partner with the company by promoting the service on their websites or in newsletters.

For more information on how My Contact411 can assist law enforcement agencies or to set up a program contact Bira directly at bbira@mycontact411.com. For more information on the programs, visit www.MyContact411.com or www.FieldTripSafeguard.com.