Minot's "Mugs n Hugs" promotes child safety and addresses child abduction

Project Characteristics Program Areas Outstanding collaborative effort Community Involvement Public Awareness Safe Communities Targeted Audience Jurisdiction Families with young children (Elementary school and younger) Community

Goals

• Fingerprint and photograph area children for tracking purposes
• Educate adults and children on basic safety issues, including traffic safety and awareness of potentially dangerous situations
• Increase the number of properly installed car seats in the area
• Enhance positive relations between law enforcement and the community

Strategies

This event addressed the growing problem of child abduction nationwide. While we have not experienced this locally, this project takes the proactive approach. Additionally, we took this time to focus on other issues that are important in building a safe community. Issues such as traffic safety primarily child passenger safety, injury prevention and safety at the local level which provided additional child passenger safety data to the Safe Communities program.

The event called for expanded partnerships and citizen involvement as a number of agencies and citizens were involved in the organization of the event. Through a joint effort a number of booths with educational materials were displayed and the following activities were conducted:

• Daily promotion of the event through radio ads created by Clear Channel Communication and a live remote broadcast coverage of the event.
• Car seat technicians conducted a check-up and provided education to parents and children.
• Rainbow Photo Lab volunteered their services and pictures were taken of the children.
• PD officers from the Crime Prevention Unit used fingerprint kits to fingerprint the children.
• Law enforcement officials provided stickers and other incentive items while visiting with the children and families about safety issues.
• A Click It or Ticket stand-up cut out was displayed.

Results

• Hundreds of local children were fingerprinted and photographed; approximately 35 car seats were properly installed in vehicles
• Education was provided to parents, children, and the community.