Assemblyman Philip Ramos (D-Central Islip) will sponsor an event to provide free photographing and fingerprinting of children to raise awareness for National Missing Children’s Day, May 25. "As a parent, my worst nightmare is having a child abducted or missing. And having worked as a police officer for 20 years, I know firsthand the dangers facing our children," Ramos said. "So in recognition of National Missing Children’s Day photographing and fingerprinting will be conducted for parents to take home with them. That way, in case of an emergency, that vital information can be given to the authorities." Ramos is sponsoring this event which is being coordinated by Brentwood Headstart. Other sponsors include La Unidad Latina – a fraternal service organization that serves the Latino community, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. National Missing Children’s Day – run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – was started after a series of high-profile missing children cases between 1979 and 1981. These tragedies highlighted that there was no coordinated effort between federal, state and local law enforcement; no national response system in place; and no central resource to help searching families. National Missing Children’s Day is a reminder to all parents and guardians of the importance of having high-quality, up-to-date photographs of their children. "I urge all families to take advantage of this free service and stay prepared in case the unthinkable happens," Ramos said. Ramos added that he supported the creation of a statewide abduction alert plan in 2002 entitled the Amber Network (Ch. 375 of 2002).