Gone in 60 seconds

While there is a lack of missing child statistics from the state of Texas Department of Public Safety, there is an abundance of information available from The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) for abused or neglected children.

Previously I posted some statistics to think about when you are wasting time. Here are some from the Texas DFPS site.

Every 9 seconds a high school student drops out.

Every 13 seconds a public school student is corporally punished.

Every 20 seconds a child is arrested.

Every 23 seconds a baby is born to an unmarried mother.

Every 35 seconds a child is confirmed as abused or neglected.

Every 36 seconds a baby is born into poverty.

Every 37 seconds a baby is born to a mother who is not a high school graduate.

Every 42 seconds a baby is born without health insurance.

Every minute a baby is born to a teen mother

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Money tree

One of these, at least as much as I understand, doesn’t grow on trees. Should the future funding come from the legislature, a direct tax or a parental fee, there will be a cost to the parent (ie. taxpayer). This would be true whether it is directly or indirectly funded .

The current strategy now suggest the 3-D picture process will begin once a photograph is obtained. Would Elizabeth Smart or others have been found faster with a 3-D picture versus a traditional photograph? Certainly age enhancement technology can make a difference but will a 3-D picture?

“We’re working with a third-party software company to take that two-dimensional image and with mathematical enhancements, we’re able to create a 3-D picture that is able to rotate from north to south and from east to west that shows the various angles of the face,” Bob Chico, program manager for AmberView at the WVHTC Foundation said.

The goal is for the program to go nationwide. So far, funds secured by U.S. Rep. Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va., through the National Institute of Justice, part of the Department of Justice, have paid for the program. But in the future,Chico said, various states probably will have to come up with funds to support the program, either through parental support, legislative appropriations or a tax.

“It’s just a question of time before the program needs to become self-sufficient,” Chico said. “At this point, the cost to the parent is nothing”.

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