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Robins worker on mission to save children

  • Published
  • By Wayne Crenshaw
  • 78 ABW/PA
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE,Ga. --  Phil Wyatt wants everyone to know what he does with his spare time away from his job at Robins. He wants his friends to know. He wants his coworkers to know. Most of all, he wants those who would prey on children to know.

Wyatt is president of the Georgia Child Identification Program, or GACHIP, which was founded in 2007 by the Freemasons of Georgia, of which Wyatt is a member.

Using a customized computer program and with all of the information taken given only to the parents, the group takes comprehensive identification data on children in the event they are missing. They take digital fingerprints, teeth prints, photographs and conduct a video interview with the child.

All of it is recorded on a CD and given to the parents, and none of the information is kept on the computer. The CD information can be directly uploaded by law enforcement to the Amber Alert system. To head off any concerns over privacy issues, Wyatt even went so far as to have representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union inspect the computers to confirm that the information could not be saved in the program that they use.

They started the project in 2008 and in only two years have recorded information on over 36,000 children, all free of charge. As far as Wyatt knows, no missing child in Georgia has been recovered as a result of what they do, but that's not his measuring stick.

Whether a child is ever recovered with the help of the program or not, he believes it is worthwhile because of the message that it sends to predators.

"We sure like for predators to know we're doing this because it acts as a deterrent," he said. "If you are at a fairly large event, a potential predator sees this and think, 'Maybe this isn't a good place to do my thing.'"

According to Wyatt, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has called the GACHIP program the most comprehensive in the nation. They are assisting other states in developing similar programs.

Wyatt has been the president since the program's inception. He has put in a considerable amount of time and effort traveling throughout the state to attend identification events and to give fundraising presentations to companies and other organizations.

In many ways, however, it has turned out to be easier than he thought. He was concerned about covering all of the costs at first, but that hasn't been a problem. Businesses have responded well but much of their budget comes through small, individual donations. Sheriff's departments also often have money for child protection programs that they donate.

The program now has 66 computers bought and paid for at a cost of $3,000 each. The computers are distributed to the 12 Masonic districts throughout the state, so that volunteers can quickly respond to requests to do IDs at various events.

The material cost for each child ID is $2. Some people have suggested putting a donation jar at events, but Wyatt said they don't want parents to feel any kind of pressure to give.

Wyatt spent 18 years in the Air Force, and was a major when he left to enter the civilian workforce. He is currently an F-15 safety officer at Robins.

But, he's not the only Robins employee closely involved in GACHIPS. Dave Baxter, an explosives inspector here, is the GACHIPs director for a district that includes 22 Masonic lodges in the area. They conducted two ID events at Robins last year and Baxter said he expects more will be done here this summer.

"It's a way to give back to the community and to give the parents an extra tool," he said. They have ambitious plans for the future of the program. Wyatt said the goal this year is to ID 50,000 children, more than doubling their 2-year total. One of the best ways to get more children identified, he said, is by working with school systems.

The Masonic lodge in Cochran, he noted, spent nine months doing IDs in the school there and ended up doing ID's on 80 percent of the children.

They also plan to do more education this year in hopes of preventing children from being abducted. For a statewide schedule of events or for more information on the organization, visit www.gachip.org.