Technology can assist in helping keep children safe from child abductors.
A small device, like Amber Alert GPS, can be easily concealed on your child and will track the child's location every five minutes.
If your child carries a smartphone, several applications are available in Apple's App Store and in the Google Play store which offer tracking capabilities.
Among them is HERO, which was endorsed last year by Elizabeth Smart, who was kidnapped from her home in 2002. The application works as a geo-location device in emergency situations. Find My iPhone and Find Friends are other options on iOS.
SecuraFone serves as a smartphone-based "panic button" for a user with a cellphone. Hold the button down for a few seconds and a caregiver can immediately receive location information via text message or a phone call.
Other applications allow parents to send geographical "fences" and are immediately alerted if a child wanders outside that region.
No smartphone? No problem. There are services which can also track a user's basic cellphone, including Sprint Family Locator, Life360 and iLOCi2.
For parent's cell phones, applications like the FBI's Child ID allows them to easily carry vital information about their child. In the event a child goes missing, parents can quickly and easily share that information with authorities.
Several phone carriers, including Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Spint, also offer paid services where parents can track the location of a family member using GPS.
- Illinois State Police: Parent's Guide to Prevention Child Abduction
