On a mission to enhance child safety and raise awareness among local families, Assemblyman Doug Smith (R-Holbrook) and Assemblyman Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson) recently hosted an important community event at the Middle Country Library in Centereach.
In partnership with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the event featured the “Operation Safe Child I.D.” program, a vital initiative designed to help parents and guardians safeguard their children by creating identification cards that can be crucial in the event of an emergency.
The Operation Safe Child I.D. program is a proactive measure aimed at protecting children by providing parents with a physical ID card that includes a recent photograph and other identifying information. This card can be a critical resource for law enforcement if a child goes missing, as it allows authorities to have immediate access to up-to-date information, thereby expediting search and rescue efforts.
During the event, families were invited to bring their children to the library, where the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office set up a dedicated station for creating the ID cards. Each child’s card includes essential details such as their name, date of birth, height, weight, and a photograph. The process was quick, efficient, and handled with the utmost care by trained professionals.
“We had a great turnout at our Operation Safe Child I.D. event; over one hundred more children are protected!” Smith told
The Messenger. Thank you to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and Middle Country Library for hosting us along with Assemblyman Ed Flood.”
“It was my honor to join Assemblyman Doug Smith and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office in an Operation Safe Child I.D. event to help raise awareness about child safety,” said Flood. “This is especially important if a child ever goes missing, it can expedite law enforcement with up-to-date photographs when responding to a disappearance. Thank you, Middle Country Public Library, for welcoming us and putting on a wonderful event.”
The event also served as an opportunity to educate parents and guardians about child safety practices. Representatives from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office were on hand to discuss various safety tips, including the importance of having recent photographs of their children, the value of teaching children their own identification details, and strategies for keeping children safe in public spaces.
The Operation Safe Child I.D. program is part of a broader initiative by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services to enhance child safety across the state. The information collected during these events is stored in a secure database in Albany and can be quickly accessed by law enforcement in the event of an emergency when issuing an AMBER Alert. This ensures that authorities have the most accurate and timely information when responding to a missing child report.
Parents and guardians who attended the event expressed their appreciation for the initiative, noting that it provided peace of mind knowing that they had taken an important step in protecting their children. Many praised the collaboration between the Assemblymen and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, highlighting the importance of such community-focused events.
As Assemblymen Smith and Flood continue their efforts to support local communities, events like Operation Safe Child I.D. demonstrate their commitment to child safety and public service. By partnering with law enforcement and local institutions like the Middle Country Library, they are not only raising awareness but also providing tangible resources that can make a real difference in the lives of families.
The success of the event has spurred discussions about future initiatives, with both Assemblymen indicating their intent to host similar events across their districts to ensure that as many families as possible have access to this potentially life-saving program.
Assemblyman Doug Smith (R-Holbrook) has represented the Fifth District of the New York State Assembly since 2018. The Fifth District is split between Brookhaven and Islip and includes Farmingville, Holbrook, Holtsville, Lake Grove, Lake Ronkonkoma, Ronkonkoma, and parts of Bohemia, Centereach, Islandia, North Patchogue, and Selden. The Fifth District office is located at 4155 Veterans Memorial Highway, Suite 9, in Ronkonkoma and can be reached at 631-585-0230.
