Stanley Patz has been conditioned to expect his telephone to ring whenever a child goes missing, so he was bracing when he heard about the disappearance of an 8-year-old boy, Leiby Kletzky, last week in Brooklyn.
Grieving Father Proposes “Leiby’s Phone” – Emergency-Only Cellphone for Children
Stanley Patz has been conditioned to expect his telephone to ring whenever a child goes missing, so he was bracing when he heard about the disappearance of an 8-year-old boy, Leiby Kletzky, last week in Brooklyn.
Yet this time, Mr. Patz, whose 6-year-old son, Etan, vanished off a Manhattan street in 1979, responded with an idea to help head off more kidnappings. After brooding over Leiby’s murder for a few days, Mr. Patz wondered, why not put a basic, emergency cellphone in the hands of every child? At the press of a button, children who are lost or in danger could dial 911, Mr. Patz reasoned.
And, if the phones had global-positioning chips in them, they could help authorities track a child’s whereabouts.
Perhaps, he added, it would be known as a “Leiby phone.”
“This little boy, even though he had rehearsed the route with his mother, he didn’t make the correct turn, then he realized he was lost and had to ask for directions,” Mr. Patz. “If he had this cellphone on his person, he could have called his mother.”
He thinks it would be feasible for cellphone manufacturers and service providers to make simple, potentially life-saving phones available free, possibly as part of family calling plans, he said in an interview on Saturday.
Mr. Patz conceded that he had not discussed his idea with anybody in the telephone business and had no estimate of what his plan might cost.
The concept of a stripped-down phone intended as a lifeline for young children has been tried before. Firefly Mobile, an eight-year-old company, has been marketing basic phones for children for several years. For a while, its products were available through Cingular Wireless, a provider that was acquired by AT&T, but they were not free. Representatives of Firefly and AT&T could not be reached over the weekend for comment.
But for his part, Mr. Patz was gripped by the belief that there was a way that modern technology could reduce the chances that more parents would suffer the way that he and the Kletzkys have.
“Every time a kid goes missing, reporters often call me up and say, ‘What’s your reaction?’ This time, I have a legitimate reaction,” Mr. Patz said.
malca b
i think is a wonderful idea —
there was a tv commercial awhile back from assurance wireless
that offered free phone to those who qualified (medicaid, medicare, etc)
mabye mr patz can work out something with them if they still exhist
rishi
the big problem that the school dont let any kind of telephon
Rivkie K
It could run along the same idea as those pendants that elderly people wear when wanting to remain independent in their own homes – if they were fall chas veshalom, they press the pendant on the chain / necklace around their neck and it sends emergency signals to the local 911.
Hashem should watch over all of Klal Yisroel and keep us safe.
im excited
yupppppy is that an excuse for my parents 2 get me a cell phone??;)
Milwaukee Yid
What a fabulous idea – once the kinks are worked out, I’m sure some philanthropic organization/foundation would jump behind it with financial support…
I may be wrong, but I thought once a cell phone was “deactivated” from service, as long as it is charged it can still be used to dial 911…just a thought for those with old cell phones lying around who want their kid to have a little extra security.
C B
“free phone”???
maybe “free” for the user, who is already receiving government handouts,
but it’s definately NOT free for the taxpayer!!!
So malca b, can I send you my cellphone bill so you can pay for it?
yes
there are emergency buzz out on the market already.
mom
in Israel they have a phone called a MANGO,
I think it could 5 numbers ie parents etc
Great idea
Great idea when my now 16 yrold was 10 we bought him a cheap prepaid phone, and we used a sharpie to highlight important numbers and blacked out the rest. We progammed in mommy, tatty, home and of course 911, and set these numbers to one touch dialing. It was simple and easy to use.
star
Besides that every building should have a cameras now ( hopefully land lords can be pushed),I would suggest to place a small bracelet or even chip into/onto the skin to locate the child in the case of lost or similar. The chip can send signal on a monitor (similar to those that monitor airplanes when they lost), at least every child will be found. There is also an option of having a some type of small device that can be turned on in the case of dangerous. I remember being a student at YU, there was a guy who offered to insert the chip into the body to monitor and locate the child. Should I really talk to this Mr.Patz? This should be a NON commercial campaign, absolutely no money making, free of charge for parents. I can’t stop thinking what could help in the situations like this( of course besides that kids should be thought how to behave). Any more suggestions ?
Good Idea
Coming from a place of pain, but a good idea, and completely realistic.
chani
they have this already. i got my kid one..
http://www.fireflymobile.com/
phone
may be this phone the child could carry round the neck, or on the waist like a belt, as children would not want to hold something in their hand all the time as they can put it down and loose it. This MANGO phone from Isreal sounds a good idea.
This has been tried before!!
Verizon used to have a phone like that and a special discount service for it including a system where you can set up a “zone” for your kids and you would get a warning message if they left said “zone”. it was able to store 4 numbers and 1 emergency number.
it also was GPS enabled and you were able to track the phone from a web enabled phone or PC.
GLOBAL POSITIONING CHIP ON EVERYBODY
WHATS WITH GLOBAL POSITIONING CHIPS IN BRACELETS, PINS OR NECKLACES?
THIS WAY A KID COULD BE TRACKED ANY TIME.
great idea!
from what age can we get itt??
EASY!
i think it should be in the form of a watch or bracelet , something that they can wear securely with a panic button on it…phones easily get lost and kids too young to be responsible for them.
vhj
kids would fool around with it and call when there’s no emergancy
shlomo
i dont belive that people in USA so stupid! people why you try to think. it very old well developed idea even in Russia it sale on every place. do google dye ? try
http://gizmodo.com/133315/b…
http://www.gps-practice-and…
http://mobile-review.com/re… in ryssion -use google translate. o simple google buddy bear phone it work even in asia . is little toy that people even don’t understood that it phone in it have gps traking ,and spewcial fetures. like silent call- parent can simple call w/o notification and listen what hapen? problem in our community, that al people wait that somebody donate, but it realy cheap, and can save YOURS chid!
shlomo
it very big market to such sings! hilonim do it even for they dogs and cat, and we wait for donation to our children safety.
buy it now
Mary-s Mom
Yes, wonderful idea. It is a different age of phone technology and no two cell phones or land line phones (ie wireless but still connected to a box) are the same. I have this concern when my young daughter is with her elderly grandparents who are actually in excellent health for their age but none the less elderly. I’m concerned that even though I’ve taught her to dial 911 on our phone…the grandparents phone isn’t the same brand and will she know to press the “talk” button instead of the “send” button etc. If she had her own phone it would mitigate that risk.
Michelle
The tracfone SVC, though designed for the elderly, is perfect for younger children, it is easy to use and it comes with emergency locator assist.