Airport Kiosks to Have Missing Children Data

John Wayne Airport will receive two computer kiosks displaying pictures and information concerning missing children as part of a new program sponsored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“This is one more way of dealing with abducted children,” said Supervisor William G. Steiner, who sits on the center’s board and helped get the kiosks for Orange County while attending the group’s national meeting in Washington last week.

Pizza Hut has agreed to donate $8 million to purchase more than 200 “Deliver Me Home” kiosks, which will be installed across the country.

Steiner said John Wayne Airport was selected because more than 8 million visitors pass through its terminal each year. “Orange County is a tremendous population center, and we have a lot of traffic going through the airport,” he said.

The kiosks, which should be installed within a few months, will allow people to get information about missing children simply by touching the “user-friendly” screen. The computer will also provide tips on how to prevent child abductions.

The program’s supporters pointed out that abducted children are often reunited with their families because of tips from the public.

Steiner, an authority on child welfare who ran the Orangewood Children’s Foundation until 1993, spent most of last week with other experts in Washington, where they discussed child protection policy with congressional leaders.

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Missing Children

Here is a breakdown of cases in Orange County for 1995:

Category: Number

Runaways: 7,635

Missing, lost: 124

Homicide, accidental death: 7

Non-family abductions: 2

Family abductions: 185

Missing under suspicious circumstances: 59

Unknown disappearance: 446

Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Orange County chapter

Los Angeles Times