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New England Masonic CHIP Day**  On May 22, 2004, Massachusetts will join 6 other New England states in offering the comprehensive Masonic CHIP Program. Over 60 sites will offer the Child Identification Program in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and Maine. It is anticipated that 12,000 children will be ID'd in recognition of National Missing Children's Day occurring on May 25th.

The Masonic CHIP Program is now recognized as one of the most all-incompassing child recovery and identification programs in the country, and is hailed by the recovery officials of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), as well as law enforcement, dental, forensic, and prosecution authorities alike.

More than 2,000 children are reported missing every day to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). NCMEC states that 22 percent of parents do not know the height, weight and eye color for all of their children. For households with two or more children, 29 percent do not have all of their children's height, weight and eye color information readily available. Moreover, while 90 percent of parents can readily provide height, weight, and eye color information for their teenage children, approximately one out of four parents cannot readily provide the same information for all of their children aged six and under.
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The need for a comprehensive ID kit readily available is paramount when children are lost, missing or abducted.

The Masonic CHIP Program provides at no cost to parents

A 3-minute videotaped interview with child
Fingerprints
A Toothprint® with salivary scent tracer and DNA
A DNA cheek swab

The core of the program is a TV-quality videotape of the child. Videotape captures mannerisms, expressions, speech patterns, profiles of the child, and gives immediate leads to law enforcement officials tracking missing children. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a videotape is worth a million; it's easily transportable, can be taken on vacation, or given to grandparents if they become caretakers for any period of time. Videotape can be easily integrated into states' and localities' AMBER Alert systems for use in airing photos during an alert on television. America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response System (AMBER) can reach millions quickly, and has saved more than 100 children to date. The videotape portion also offers a strong forensic component. Because children are asked to give "their biggest smile" during the interview, the alignment, shape, color, and spacing of teeth can be used to make a positive forensic identification. If skeletal remains need to be identified, a photographic superimposition technique can be used to overlay the videotape onto a skull via use of computers to make a positive forensic identification.

Fingerprints are taken, which are invaluable in tracking lost, missing, or abducted children. Fingerprints are used mostly in identifying remains, however. They are critical and essential in investigation, tracking, and for prosecution purposes.

The third component of the program is Toothprints®. It adds a very strong recovery and forensic aspect to this program. A Toothprint® records individual tooth characteristics, tooth position within the arch, upper and lower teeth relationships, gum contour and anatomy, as well as marginal outlines of individual restorations and dental sealants. Every Toothprint® is unique, even identical twins can be easily differentiated by their Toothprints®. Seventy (70%) percent of American children are now cavity-free and filling-free and thus have literally blank dental records reported to the NCIC when lost or missing.

Saliva on the Toothprint® wafer serves as a DNA sample for at least 3 years, but more importantly, serves as a scent tracer for recovery bloodhound dogs which can easily track saliva scent. Bloodhounds typically track individual skin cells falling from humans at a rate of 100 cells/minute. By smelling the salivary residue on Toothprints®, bloodhounds can track children merely breathing - exhaling their salivary vapors into the air. Bloodhounds can even distinguish identical twins apart by saliva scent. Children are taught to leave a "spit trail" if lost in the woods; or if age appropriate, leave their saliva, fingerprints, and hair behind if abducted. Recovery, identification, and prosecution gain much with such evidence.

The fourth component of the program is the DNA cheek swab which will provide DNA material for both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA matching for more than 20 years when properly frozen in a home freezer.

To date, the Masonic CHIP Program has ID'd more than 183,000 children in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and 43 Public School systems have adopted the program for all students grades K - 12. Last year 258 CHIP events were conducted in 142 communities in the Commonwealth. The program is free; the organizers keep no ID records - all ID materials are given to the parents. Parents can elect to participate in any of the four components of the program. Children from birth to college-age may participate. Programs occur at carnivals, health and safety fairs, Town days, and during school - wherever children congregate.

CHIP offers maximum peace of mind for parents, community leaders, and children.


** Adapted from article by Dr. David B. Harte; CHIP Director Emeritus, Grand Lodge of Massachusetts; Massachusetts Dental Identification Response Team, member; D-Mort Team, member, Region 1 (New England)

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