Latest news with #ShellySmitherman
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
TNKidKit aims to prepare parents in the event their child goes missing
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — It's every parent's worst nightmare to lose a child and it's one that one Sumner County family has had to endure for a year. On Feb. 26, 2024, 15-year-old Sebastian Rogers was reported missing from his Hendersonville home. To this day, little is known about his disappearance. However, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has a new tool to help parents if the unthinkable happens to their child. These Tennessee AMBER Alerts remain unsolved. Do you know anything? The agency had already rolled out a new app aimed at helping Tennessee's senior and adult populations, called TBI Find. The app includes 'care kits' with resources to find seniors if they go missing. A similar tool, called TN KidKit, can be helpful to parents in the event of a missing child. The website provides a place for parents to input key details about their child, like height, weight and eye color. Those are all details that important in the event of an emergency that investigators would need to know to issue an AMBER Alert.'You can enter vital information, update photographs for you and your loved ones,' Shelly Smitherman, assistant special agent in charge for the TBI, said at a press conference. 'It can be quickly sent to law enforcement in the event you have an emergency.' So, how does it work? Follow this link and select your child's age range. You'll be prompted to fill out questions about their physical appearance, address information and more. Save the document and print multiple hard copies. ⏩ If an emergency happens and your child goes missing, you would be able to give documents to law enforcement agencies. You can also upload recent pictures of your child and update them routinely. That way, parents won't have to search for up-to-date photos in a time of crisis. TBI officials recommend setting calendar reminders every six months or every year to update your child's kidkit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New TBI app and website aim to fast-track Silver Alert cases, protect older adults
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation officially rolled out its new TBI Find app during a meeting at the John T. O'Connor Senior Center in Knoxville. It will allow people to share information regarding Silver Alerts. In addition to that, a new website that shares ways to keep seniors safe. 'It's no secret, like a lot of states we have a growing senior population in Tennessee and along with that comes a couple of big risks,' said TBI Director David Rausch. 'These two new efforts are meant to help in those situations. The first is TBI Find. It's a new mobile application to bring new efficiency to our state's Silver Alert program. The second tool we are launching is It's about putting common sense advice and crime prevention tips in one trusted resource.' Knoxville couple seeks refund for extra $1,800 charge for cruise after ticket mix-up The website offers information on healthcare fraud prevention, cell phone and social media safety and a way to set up a care kit. 'You can upload vital information and update photographs for you and your loved ones,' Shelly Smitherman with the TBI Missing Persons Unit said. 'It can be quickly sent to law enforcement in the event that you have an emergency.' Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Ralph Alvarado said the app is the first of its kind in the US and is still in its infancy. They are looking at all new possibilities to help further the app and make it better for users. House passes bills tied to Hurricane Helene relief 'Some folks were asking about a way to alert other folks or request a home visit. None of that has been tied into the app yet,' Dr. Alvarado said. 'I'm sure we will be taking lots of ideas when people sign up. Basically, this would be useful if we could report something else or some other information or request it from people. We will get some ideas, again this is the first of its kind in the country which is really neat. We will be forging a path for other states will be copying this and we will come up with good ideas of how that information can be shared.' Rausch said nearly two million of the states six million residents are over the age of 60 and that number is only going to climb as more people move to the state. He added they built the app and website were built from the ground up with the help of organizations like Alzheimer's Tennessee, Area Agency on Aging and the Department of Health. ▶ See more top stories on We are told the app is there to help law enforcement find missing people quicker, it was noted that a large chunk of the success is finding missing people is the general public. The app allows direct contact to the TBI's Missing Persons Unit to streamline the dissemination of information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
