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project: safe id<br />
Reuniting lost children & Protecting our nation's elderly<br />
BY AMANDA HENSLEY<br />
When Brad Schlerf, CEO and creator of Verify ID,<br />
decided to retire from law enforcement after<br />
more than twenty years of service, he wanted to continue<br />
to benefit the community in some way. He spent his time as<br />
an officer on the forefront of computer forensics, evidence<br />
pertaining to technology and gang intelligence, and even<br />
helped to develop the program we now know as D.A.R.E.<br />
(Drug Abuse Resistance Education).<br />
After gaining much experience and expertise in computers,<br />
he created Verify ID, a product that’s now widely used by<br />
small businesses for customer service. The concept takes<br />
the age old idea of a medical bracelet and upgrades it for the<br />
future, which is now. For small business use in any industry<br />
that requires technicians, servicemen or employees to visit a<br />
client’s home or place of business, these revolutionary ID’s<br />
can be used to establish a client-business relationship and<br />
factor of trust from the very first scheduled appointment.<br />
Say an air conditioning company had Verify IDs<br />
made for every technician employed. When a client<br />
calls to schedule an appointment, they receive an<br />
email containing their technician’s name, photo and<br />
information that the company has disclosed on<br />
their profile ahead of time (certifications,<br />
hobbies, etc.)<br />
The client can then verify the<br />
technician’s ID when they arrive at their<br />
home with the badge, which contains<br />
the technician’s photo, name and a QR<br />
code that can be scanned. In an office<br />
environment, VerifyID bracelets, another tag<br />
option, can be used for employee identification<br />
by connecting pertinent emergency contact<br />
or medical information supplied with their<br />
personalized QR code. Some companies have<br />
chosen to list biographies, licenses, social media and<br />
website links, contact information and even videos or images,<br />
all at your fingertips by simply scanning their ID. The beauty<br />
of this product is that it’s all completely customizable. “You<br />
tell us what you want included and I’ll tell you, ‘Sure!’ says<br />
Schlerf.<br />
While Schlerf was excited about the Verify ID project,<br />
there was still something more he felt like he could be doing.<br />
Giving back to the community he served for so long, even if<br />
he wasn’t in law enforcement any longer, has always been<br />
his main focus. Schlerf said, “There are over 800,000 children<br />
reported missing every year, and of those over 85% are just<br />
kids who are lost, non-criminal in nature. Those are the ones<br />
we’re focusing on.”<br />
In January, he and his company decided to take the ID<br />
concept to the next level and launched Project Safe ID, a<br />
revolutionary concept that merges the Verify ID product with<br />
the situation that every parent dreads; your child missing. For<br />
a mere $20 a year, you can enroll your child in this program<br />
and receive three tags, choosing from five different styles,<br />
with your child’s picture, first name only and a personalized<br />
QR code.<br />
When their code is scanned, there’s an option to direct<br />
dial Mom and/or Dad, other emergency contacts, emergency<br />
medical information, such as food allergies, and more. Just<br />
like the Verify ID’s, these are 100% customizable for your child,<br />
and are ideal for situations where your special-needs child is<br />
lost, an emergency occurs and they’re unresponsive, or<br />
just too scared to articulate answers to questions<br />
being asked of them.<br />
With the age of smart-phones and other<br />
mobile devices, almost anyone within walking<br />
distance of your child can be of assistance<br />
in the event that they’re separated from<br />
you, emergency respondents included.<br />
There’s even a way for parents to access<br />
their account and flag their child as a<br />
documented missing child, ensuring that if<br />
their ID is scanned, it will pop up with an<br />
extra alert.<br />
It’s important to note that a child’s<br />
information will never be listed in their<br />
database until a personalized ID number<br />
has been created.<br />
Even more, there’s a line of Project<br />
Safe ID for seniors and pets. “We’ve spent<br />
thousands [of dollars] working on this project, but<br />
that’s not the point. Every child, senior citizen and pet that’s<br />
returned home safely, or gets medical attention they need<br />
quickly is what makes it all worth it,” says Schlerf. “That’s why<br />
this is a completely not-for-profit project.” These are perfect<br />
for medical institutions, veterinary offices, or even entire<br />
school districts to use as their campus ID’s. It’s just about<br />
getting the word out there now.<br />
i<br />
FOR MORE INFORMATION:<br />
Contact Project Safe ID by visiting<br />
www.verify-id.com<br />
24 onthetown onthetowntexas.com<br />
OTT Texas JanFeb Issue.indd 24<br />
1/28/2014 1:24:00 PM
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