Dealership offers chance to protect children

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- It’s something that might take you one step closer to

the person behind the face on a milk carton.

The Blue Oval Ford Dealership at Theodore Robins Ford in Costa Mesa is

putting together a child safety event today that will give local parents

an opportunity to get their children photographed and fingerprinted --

for free.

It is significant information that most parents cannot seem to provide

to police or investigators when their children are lost or missing.

“When children are missing, parents realize they don’t even have a

recent photo of their child to give the police,” said Kirk Varga, general

manger of the dealership.

“This is some important information that will help bring their lost

children back home.”

This free identification kit that parents will get will include their

child’s photo, fingerprint, height, weight, color of hair and

identification marks.

The information also will be listed in a national directory that will

be made available to police departments and the FBI.

The Costa Mesa Police Department used to have a child fingerprinting

program several years ago, but it was discontinued 10 years ago, Sgt. Don

Holford said.

“We still do fingerprinting in the Orange County Fair,” he said. “So

we haven’t completely stopped that.”

The information is vital when it comes to police investigations,

Holford said.

“Sadly, sometimes fingerprints are used to identify the body,” he

said. But on the brighter side, they are also used in the process of

elimination.

This is the first time that the Ford dealership is organizing the

event, Varga said.

“We just wanted to do something positive for the community,” he said.

“It’s our way of giving back.”

FYI

The event will take place today between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the

Theodore Robins Ford dealership, 2060 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa.

Information: (949) 642-0010.