Portland-area Company Launches App Designed to Help Find Missing People

Portland-area Company Launches App Designed to Help Find Missing People

Q5id Guardian uses the power of communities and technology to help bring missing loved ones home.PORTLAND, Ore., July 26, 2022 – “It takes a village” is an oft-used statement, and nowhere is it more apt than when a child or other loved one goes missing. In these situations, every second counts, and the more people involved in a search, the better.Members of local communities can play a vital role in returning loved ones to their families. A new app launching today from Portland-area Q5id harnesses the power of communities and technology together, to create a new way to help find missing people quickly. The app, named Q5id Guardian, is launching in Portland, before expanding to key cities in the West such as Seattle and Las Vegas, then nationally. Oregon has the third-highest rate in the United States of people who go missing, at 10.4 per 100,000 people.“The problem is both acute and terrifying,” says Q5id CEO Steve Larson. “Q5id Guardian works on a simple premise: if your child or loved one is missing, having a community at the ready can offer needed support when every moment counts,” he says. “We bring people together to help, making our communities safer for everyone.”Building Verified CommunitiesThe Guardian app works by building a verified community of volunteers who can help greatly expand the search for a missing person and send highly localized alerts using the technique of geofencing. A geofence is a virtual perimeter created and viewed online, which allows family members and community volunteers to focus on a key, well-defined area in searching for missing loved ones.The app gets two types of users involved: Guardian volunteers and Guardian+ subscribers.Guardian volunteers are local citizens who have downloaded the free app and opted in to receive alerts. When a person goes missing in their immediate area, they instantly receive a push notification to their mobile device, prompting them to join the search. Notifications are only sent to those within a close radius of the geo-located alert, ensuring they can actually help when it matters. The app’s unique technology allows those who have joined the Guardian community to contact emergency services directly within the app if they locate a missing person. Guardian+ subscribers can issue alerts for their loved ones the second they believe they are missing. Alerts are automatically tied to their phone’s location however users may instead choose to base the alert in a different area. For example, if a child was last seen at school, the alert can be based around the school, rather than the user’s current physical location.Subscribers can create profiles for each of their loved ones, and the information will be attached to any alert issued on their behalf. To activate these features there is a $3.99 monthly subscription fee.Support from Local and National GroupsThe Guardian app is recognized by national groups dedicated to health and safety of the community, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), Childhelp, the Dementia Society of America, and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).“Time is the enemy in the search for a missing child or for any missing person. I am enthusiastic about Guardian’s pioneering use of geofencing to quickly notify people in the immediate area when someone goes missing,” says Ernie Allen, former executive director of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “This technology could dramatically increase the likelihood of safe recovery.”“The more resources we have to aid in supporting children in our communities, the better,” says Michael Medoro, Chief of Staff, with Childhelp, the organization behind the National Child Abuse Hotline and the nation's largest and oldest national nonprofit focused on the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse. “Sadly, we know children are unwittingly preyed upon every day – shockingly there is a report of child abuse made every 10 seconds in this country, and unfortunately this tragic situation is only becoming worse. We believe the Q5id Guardian app can play a pivotal role in helping locate missing children.”In Portland, Q5id has also partnered with the Maurice Lucas Foundation, which works with middle school students to help them realize their individual potential through education and sport. It carries on the legacy of Portland Trail Blazers legend and pillar of the local community Maurice Lucas. “As a father of two young children, and through the work we do with the Maurice Lucas Foundation, Q5id Guardian hits very close to home for me,” says David Lucas, executive director of the foundation. “I am thrilled to welcome Q5id Guardian as a partner! We look forward to enhancing the services we provide through the use of this technology and creating safer communities together.”Parent company, Q5id, has also created the first-ever proven identity solution, with patented technology designed to reduce the impact of fraud, identity theft, and data breaches. “Now we are using our proven identity solution to build a trusted community and create a whole new way for people to join in the fight to find the nearly half a million people who go missing in our country each year,” Q5id CEO Steve Larson says.About Q5id GuardianQ5id Guardian is the new app revolutionizing how missing people are located and returned home safely. Guardian uses the power of community, instant localized alerts, and patented technology. The moment a loved one is thought to be missing, Guardian+ subscribers can issue an alert with the tap of a button. The alert instantly notifies all Guardians in the immediate area via push notification to jump into action and join the search. All member identities are verified with the patented Q5id Proven Identity technology ensuring transparency and safety for all.For more information visit https://guardian.q5id.com/Follow Us on Twitter: @Q5idGuardianLike Us on Facebook: @q5idguardianFollow Us on Instagram: @Q5idGuardian

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