The New York Masonic Safety ID Program continues to be the only non-law enforcement organization recognized by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the New York State Missing Persons Clearinghouse and the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services. This recognition brings credibility to the program and the fraternity.

Local Masons are offering the service at the Chautauqua County Fair this week in the Commercial Building.

The Executive Committee of the organization continues to work with Masonic Chip International to ensure the standardization of the program throughout New York and other states using this program. What this means is this: every person that is processed has the same format, making it useful to every Amber Alert in this country. This is an improvement from New York State Amber Alert only. New York state was the leader in standardization: Masonic Chip International closely followed by the state.

The organization continue to work closely with E-Z Child ID, Inc. Masonic Chip International. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the New York State Missing Persons Clearinghouse to improve the program by introducing a new app for cellphones. (An app is an application program which is run off a cellphone or computer). With this free app, the entire child or person’s information is uploaded into the cellphone of the parent and/or guardians of children and people being processed.

You may ask why this app is important. Everyone today has his or her cellphone with them wherever they go. When you are out and your child goes missing and you call the police, you have your child’s entire information with you on your cellphone. You simply bring up the app and send the information to the telephone number the police officer gives you and your information is available to law enforcement before you leave. That information is available to Amber Alert in seconds. We are the only non-law enforcement that has this capability.