FBI App Enlists Parents' Help In Searching For Missing Kids
DENVER (CBS4) - The FBI is asking parents to use a new smartphone app should the unthinkable happen: the disappearance of their child.
When a child goes missing, the app allows parents to send photos of their child, along with the child's height and weight, to help the FBI move quickly.
"The first few hours when a child goes missing are absolutely critical," FBI special agent Timothy Gallagher said, "and the information which we need to obtain many times has to come from the parent."
Often when a child disappears, the FBI and parents lose valuable time fishing out photos and remembering pertinent details.
And it can be tough getting help from panicked parents.
The app looks to solve that. Since its launch, more than 140,000 people have downloaded the app.
"If your child were to go missing, with one push of a button this information is transmitted quicker than you can dial 911," Gallagher said.
The FBI is encouraging parents to download the free app as kids start their summer activities.