Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita recently announced all Hoosier kindergarten fifth grade students will receive a child identification kit this fall.

The announcement came during a press conference with Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives aka NOBLE, Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, NFL Alumni Association, Colts Super Bowl XLI Champion Marlin Jackson and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Singletary.

On average, 1,000 children go missing across the United States every day.

“Human trafficking is on the rise and our open border policies have brought it right to our front door,” Rokita said. “That is why I have filed multiple lawsuits to secure our southern border. Our office fights to keep criminals on appeal behind bars, we protect victims of crimes like human trafficking through our Address Confidentiality Program, and now we have built a coalition of community leaders to provide kits to all K-5 students this fall free of charge to Hoosier families.”

When a child goes missing, time is of the essence. Child ID kits give parents a tool to provide detailed information, a photograph, fingerprint and DNA to law enforcement quickly. Completed kits are kept in a safe place at home, out of a database, so parents are prepared if the unthinkable happens.

Kits will be distributed by superintendents and school resource officers to all k-5 schools across the state. The Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police also will distribute kits to local law enforcement.

The Attorney General’s Office brought together this coalition with public and private funding from the General Assembly and American Electric Power to make these kits available to all K-5 families free of charge in the 2024 school year.