New ID System Fits Into Shoe

SAN FRANCISCO — A police officer has developed an identification system that fits in a shoe and could help locate lost children, nursing home patients who wander away and missing people who don’t speak English.

“Shoe Alert” consists of a plastic-encased paper label listing name, address, birth date, blood type, allergies and medical contact. The label goes inside the shoe, while a red dot bearing the words “Shoe Alert” attaches to the outside to indicate that the label is present.

“Working every day on the street, you run across a lot of people who don’t have ID,” said Officer Vincent Sheehan, who spent 10 months and $1,500 on the plan. “I wanted to come up with some type of ID that people don’t forget.”

Sheehan--who is selling the four labels, laminations and red dots for $1.50--plans to market the items through schools, convalescent hospitals and neighborhood community groups.