Police offer identification
cards to schoolchildren
By jeanette M. eng
Staff Writer
MARLBORO — The 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds at the Marlboro Early Learning Center now have their own photo identification cards that come with a digital scan of each child’s fingerprint on the back.
The ID cards were issued as part of a program offered by the Marlboro Police Department to use a new fingerprinting system. The new system was made possible through a 2002 Technology Initiative federal grant, applied for by Sgt. Nicholas Barbella.
The grant provided the police department with a new fingerprint scanning system as well as the ID card system.
According to Lt. Douglas VanNote, who oversees the equipment, the digital fingerprinting system can process an individual’s information in about one minute.
"The kids put their finger on a scanner about the size of a Scotch tape dispenser and their fingerprint is scanned and saved," VanNote explained. "There is no ink involved."
After the fingerprints are scanned, the information is stored in a database along with the child’s photo and other information provided by parents.
"The database is stored on the hard drive of a laptop," VanNote explained, adding that the stand-alone system is not part of a network.
"Only two people, Sgt. Paul Conover and I, have the password and the access to the computer," he said, emphasizing the protection that the system is under.
The custom ID cards are created to look almost like a driver’s license, VanNote said. Information on the card includes the child’s name, his or her guardian’s name, the child’s weight, height, eye color, hair color, current photo and digital fingerprint scan.
"The parents hang on to the card and if something were to happen to the child, they would just give us the card," the lieutenant said.
From Jan. 22-24, VanNote and Conover spent time at the Marlboro Early Learning Center collecting the information needed to make ID cards for the 500 children who attend the school.
"The kids were adorable, and everything went great," Conover said.
"The kids were so much fun, we wanted to take them home with us," VanNote said.
The two officers received help from the school PTO, which provided supplies such as printers and cards and volunteers to help the police officers.
Just as important a part of the program as the ID cards is the promotion of community relations, something very important to the Marlboro police, VanNote said.
According to VanNote, the plan for the fingerprinting system includes creating ID cards for third-graders and sixth-graders.
"We hope to have everyone in the kindergarten, third and sixth grades equipped with ID cards," he said. "Then we will update them every three years in those grades in order to keep the cards accurate."
VanNote said that if a child changes drastically before the scheduled update, a parent can always come in individually and the police will take care of it.
After creating cards for the estimated 1,500 students in the three grade levels, the police also plan to create ID cards for senior citizens.
"Because many of them don’t drive, they don’t have a form of photo identification," VanNote explained.