Santa Barbara, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging families to be prepared by offering free Child ID Kits at Sheriff’s Office stations throughout Santa Barbara County.

The kits provide parents and guardians with a simple way to record important identifying information about their child, including fingerprints, a current photograph, physical descriptors, emergency contacts and other key details. The completed kit is kept by the parent or guardian at home and is not submitted to or stored by the Sheriff’s Office or in any government database.

If a child ever goes missing, having this information immediately available can help law enforcement begin an investigation as quickly as possible.

The Child ID Kits are provided through a partnership between the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), and the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) as part of a nationwide effort to equip families with an important child safety resource.

Parents are encouraged to complete the kit as soon as they receive it and update the information and photograph periodically as their child grows.

Free Child ID Kits are available while supplies last at the following Sheriff’s Office locations during normal business hours:

• Sheriff’s Headquarters
  4434 Calle Real, Santa Barbara
• Goleta Marketplace Office
  7040 Marketplace Dr, Goleta
• Carpinteria Sheriff’s Station
  5775 Carpinteria Avenue, Carpinteria
• Santa Ynez Valley Sheriff’s Station
  1745 Mission Drive, Solvang
• Lompoc Sheriff’s Station
  3500 Harris Grade Road, Lompoc
• Buellton Sheriff’s Station
  140 W. Hwy 246, Buellton
• Santa Maria Sheriff’s Station
  812 W. Foster Road, Santa Maria
• New Cuyama Sheriff’s Station
  70 Newsome Street, New Cuyama

There is no cost to receive a Child ID Kit, and no appointment is necessary.