NOKR Media 2007 Archives 2006  2005  2004 12 27 2004 Asian Quake Tsunamis Assistance for Next Of Kin 12 02 2004 Northern Virginia Journal Newspaper Registry built to inform next of kin 10 22 2004 NEXT OF KIN OPTION AT YOUR LOCAL DMV office 09 25 2004 Registry helps locate loved ones in an emergency 08 29 2004 Family registry expanding service 08 25 2004 Virginia State Police Association Magazine 08 23 2004 National Next of Kin Registry to Expand Free Service Nationwide 03 10 2004 Local law enforcement agencies get a helping hand with new National Next of Kin registry 03 06 2004 Next-of-kin online listing aids police COMMUNICATIONS: Encrypted information is available only to subscribing law enforcement agencies 03 05 2004 First-ever National Next Of Kin Registry launches Regionally In Washington State NOKR has appeared in many media sources, this is a short list Broadcast         ABC News CBS News NBC News MSNBC Fox News CNN CBC MTV BET   Print         USA Today Washington Post New York Times LA Times STAR San Diego Union Associated Press Press-Enterprise Times-News Daily Ardmoreite Houston Chronicle Press of Atlantic City Richmond Times Kansas City Star Journal Gazette Intelligencer News-Star Southern Illinoisan Cape Cod Times Tennessean Bellingham Herald Bangor Daily News Californian Virginian-Pilot Atlanta Journal-Constitution American Forces News- Department of Defense Pentagon Asian Quake Tsunamis Assistance for Next Of Kin   Those who have family members visiting or living in the Asian Quake, tsunamis area can register vital information. December 27, 2004 The National Next Of Kin Registry would like to inform those who have family members visiting or living in the Asian quake tsunamis area to visit the National Next Of Kin website, https://www.nokr.org to register vital information about their family members in the event this information is needed by the authorities or search and rescue teams. The National Next Of Kin Registry (NOKR) is a new high-speed solution to locating your Next Of Kin in urgent situations. NOKR is designed as an emergency contact system to help if you or your family member is missing,  injured or deceased. NOKR is a free service to the public as well as the Local and State agencies using the search service. NOKR has had tremendous success on the regional level and now on the national level. NOKR is a steadfast organization dedicated to bridging the information gap between the public and the registered agencies. NOKR's nonprofit free service provides these agencies assistance in the rapid location for those who have registered their next of kin or emergency point of contact. We should mention there is no other service like NOKR that is available anywhere in the USA, Canada or Mexico. Many unfortunate accidents happen each day to individuals in our society and many of them do not have information, which could lead to expeditious family location. NOKR is beneficial in many ways. In the unique and changing socio political climate we currently live in, unfortunately tragedies such as 9/11 or even more recently, hurricane Charlie have reminded us about our vulnerability and the importance of family. The National Next of Kin Registry is becoming a vital link to the needs of law enforcement and emergency services nationwide.   Northern Virginia Journal Newspaper Registry built to inform next of kin December 02, 2004 By ANDREA PERRIN Journal staff writer Hospitals often have this problem when admitting an unconscious patient, police confront it when a motorist is killed and nursing homes sometimes face it when an elderly resident dies – how to locate next of kin? There had been no nationwide means of finding someone’s next of kin, that is until this fall when two longtime friends created the National Next Of Kin Registry. Herbert W. Lork said he and Mark Cerney began talking about the idea after Cerney’s family nanny died in a nursing home and he didn’t learn about it until eight months later. Please see REGISTRY, Page 6     This paper is in adobe PDF format. Click here to open paper This will open in a new window. Articles can be seen on the front-page and page 6 NEXT OF KIN OPTION AT YOUR LOCAL DMV  office Temecula, CA (October 22, 2004) The National Next Of Kin registry (NOKR) tackles new heights on state and national level. On Thursday NOKR announced on its website that they are proposing a new Department Of Motor Vehicle Initiative called. NOKR DMV Initiative, this new proposal includes the following: To provide the option at all Department Of Motor Vehicle (DMV) offices nationwide, to have a decal or image placed on your state issued drivers licenses or Identification card showing your next of kin is registered. See the samples at https://www.nokr.org/nokr_initiative.htm. Any individual applying for a state issued Identification card or drivers license would have the option of completing a short registration form, indicating who their contact next of kin or emergency point of contact would be, in the event of critical need. COLORADOAN Registry helps locate loved ones in an emergency Originally published Saturday, September 25, 2004 By COURTNEY LINGLE CourtneyLingle@coloradoan.com V. Richard Haro/The Coloradoan NO TIME TO LOSE: A new Web site launched by a nonprofit organization in California features a secure registry that helps law enforcement find next of kin more quickly in the case of an accident.     On the Internet Visit www.nokr.org to learn more about the National Next of Kin Registry. When it comes to notifying family members that a loved one has died or is seriously injured, local law-enforcement agencies do everything they can as quickly and as compassionately as possible. Most of the time, contact is made within minutes or hours. But sometimes it can take days or weeks to identify, locate and contact next of kin, and in a few rare cases, families are never found. "It can be anywhere from a few minutes to days or even longer," Larimer County Chief Deputy Coroner Diane Fairman said. "But I'm thinking right now of two to three (cases) I can remember in our office in the past few years that we never found next of kin." A new Web site launched this month by a California-based nonprofit organization bridges the gap between law enforcement and families. Through its Web site, www.nokr.org,the National Next of Kin Registry allows people to register themselves and a family member or point of contact who could lead law enforcement to next of kin. Participants are required to give their name and address and the name and address of their family member or contact person, and can add a telephone number and e-mail address. According to the Web site, the information is gathered on a secure site and then sent encrypted to a secure area on a separate server that is accessible only to law-enforcement agencies trying to locate next of kin. Once they are identified, law-enforcement agencies are given a Web address and password that would link them to a specific registrant's information. Members also can print out an optional wallet-size registration card that could alert law enforcement to go to the registry for information on next of kin. Started as a pilot program in Washington state, the Next of Kin Registry went national Sept. 10, and organizers now are working to get the word out to residents and law-enforcement agencies throughout the country, said Herbert Lork, chief operating officer for the registry. "Our goal now is to build up our database to a couple hundred million names within the next five years," he said. Local authorities in Larimer County hadn't heard of the site but said it could be a useful tool on those occasional tough cases. Fairman said investigators now use the phone book, mail, neighbors, personal effects and any other tools they can to identify and locate a victim's family. "With families getting more and more estranged and people living farther apart, it's getting harder," she said, noting that in many cases, people have different names from their parents, spouses or children. Wellington resident Jim Amodeo said it took local law enforcement five to six hours to find him after his close friend, Scherie Reynolds, and her two children were killed in a crash June 7. Reynolds, 35, had moved in with Amodeo just days before she died, and Amodeo said, while he wasn't the legal next of kin, he was the closest person she had in Colorado. Once law enforcement located him, Amodeo was able to lead them to Reynolds' mother, who lived out of state. "In my case, especially because of the last names, it would have accelerated the contact," Amodeo said of the registry. Colorado State Patrol trooper Scott Boskovich said CSP is able to locate next of kin within 24 hours of a crash in most cases. He likes the idea of the Web site and the card, which would alert law enforcement who might not be familiar with the site. "Anything that would help us do our job a little bit better and a little bit more efficiently always is welcome," he said, adding that he would consider signing up for the registry himself. "Just in case I'm out vacationing, not in the state of Colorado, they'd at least know who to notify right quick." Fort Collins police Lt. Jim Szakmeister said, while the Web site sounds like a great idea, he's leery about security. But organizers say the site is safe and secure. For those who prefer not to register online, Fairman and Szakmeister said a simple homemade card with the holder's name, address and two points of contact is an effective option. Szakmeister suggested including the telephone numbers for the next of kin and the relationship.

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Aug 29, 2004
The San Diego Union - Tribune. 
San Diego, Calif.Family registry expanding service. 

The registry was founded this year to assist local and state agencies in locating and notifying people of a missing, critically injured or dead family member.

 CARLSBAD -- The National Next of Kin Registry is expanding its free service on a national level.

The launch will begin with a media event Sept. 10 at the Cornerstone Corporate Center, 1902 Wright Place, Carlsbad.

The registry was founded this year to assist local and state agencies in locating and notifying people of a missing, critically injured or dead family member. Families register the names of relatives with the group, which operates a database available to law enforcement. The nonprofit organization recently relocated to Temecula from Bellingham, Wash.

More information about the registry can be found at https:// www.nokr.org.
 

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Virginia State Police Association Magazine
August 25, 2004

There is nothing more tragic than the sudden loss of a loved one or family member. That pain can be magnified by finding out a day or even more after the fact because law enforcement did not know the identity of the next-of-kin.
        A new nationwide service was created to aid officers in the search for contacts in these situations. The National Next of Kin Registry, founded in 2004, offers contact information for next-of-kin in the event of an accident resulting in injury or death of a loved one. The National Next of Kin Registry is a free service that allows people to list one person that they want to be contacted on behalf of, according to President Mark Cerney.
        “If there is a spouse, the majority of people will have that person already listed as their next-of-kin,” he said. “Most of the time, if you’re traveling, it’s with your spouse. So many people list some other family member to be contacted.”
        The link to the registry is on the Virginia State Police website. The Department is one of several law enforcement agencies that list this information, including the Washington State Police, the LA County’s coroner’s office, the Spokane County coroner’s office.
        “We’re seeing a large amount of people using the service,” Cerney said. “We typically get five to 10 names per day from our link on the Virginia State Police website.”
        The organization plans an additional level of service for next year.
        “Our next major focus will be the homeless and runaways. Because they rarely have access to the Internet, we’re going to have letters they can fill out and drop in the mailbox.”
        This angle is still a work in progress, so Cerney said he does not know where the letters will be available.
        “Even though these individuals are homeless, they still deserve to have the same rights as the rest of us.”
        Cerney said he helped develop the service after experiencing a difficult time when a loved one died.
        “I had a personal situation in 1990. I’ve watched technology change over the years. The registry is really a mainstream service. It’s amazing that something like this hasn’t been developed before.”
        The project came together in the San Diego Public Administrator’s office, according to Cerney.
        “We worked hand-in-hand with the coroner’s office. Gov. Schwarzenegger issued a directive for the government agencies to work smarter and use Internet technology more effectively.”
        In light of the growing threats of terrorist activity, natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods and other catastrophic events, services such as this one can serve as a valuable service in disseminating information in a more timely manner.
        The registry was implemented in January 2004 and continues to be upgraded and improved, according to Cerney. He encourages people to check out their website, available through the Virginia State Police website, at https://www.vsp.state.va.us/ or at https://www.nokr.org/ .

        “We’re really happy with the outcome so far. We’re very excited that the Virginia State Police has provided a link for us on their website … The bottom line, end of the day the only thing that’s important is our family – our brothers, sisters, parents, children, aunts and uncles. This is a noble cause, and we hope that it has an impact.”



Tammy Poole
Editor/PR Manager
Virginia State Police Association
6944 Forest Hill Ave.
Richmond, VA 23225
(804) 320-6272
https://www.vspa.org

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National Next of Kin Registry to Expand
Free Service Nationwide

Temecula, CA (August 23, 2004).  The National Next of Kin Registry is expanding it’s free service on a national level.  The launch will kick off with a media event to be held on September 10^th, 2004 at the Cornerstone Corporate Center 1902 Wright Place, Carlsbad CA.

NOKR enables people to register family members or next of kin into a free, secure database.  This information is then encrypted and transferred to a separate location and only then can law enforcement, the local coroners office, or public administrator access the database for the sole purpose of locating and notifying next of kin in the event of critical need or death.

 

“The success of the Next of Kin Registry regional launch in Washington state this past March resulted in a number of law enforcement agencies signing up for our service, including, Washington State Patrol, Bellingham Police, Spokane County Coroners Office, Virginia State Police, The State of Louisiana and many more notes Mark Cerney, the founder of NOKR. “We are a non-profit, free of charge service, dedicated to expediting the notification process for both public officials and the public.  In a time when we are faced with catastrophic events created by nature or by mans inhumanity to his fellow man, our nation and our world needs a service like NOKR to provide valuable support to our national, state, and local agencies”.

 

The National Next of Kin Registry was founded in 2004 to assist in the location of family members in times of critical injury or death.  The Organization recently relocated to Temecula, CA from Bellingham, Washington.  More information can be found about Next of Kin Registry by visiting www.nokr.org.

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March 10, 2004

WASHINGTON
Lynden Tribune

Local law enforcement agencies get a helping hand with new
National Next of Kin registry.

by Bronlea Hawkins
Lynden Tribune reporter

Brief
    A Bellingham-based web design company has created a revolutionary new tool for law enforcement agencies and medical examiners nationwide. Worldwide Generations Inc. launched the National Next of Kin registry last Friday with an informal gathering of press and law enforcement agencies in Bellingham. The launch drew in news and law enforcement agencies from northwest Washington state and a representative from the governor's office. "Our mission here is to give back to the community," said WWG e-business consultant Mel Mulligan. "We saw a need that wasn't being fulfilled."  The National Next of Kin registry is a free service that will aid law enforcement agencies and medical examiners throughout the country in identifying people and notifying their next of kin.  "The way it works is the public registers a person on the registry and then law enforcement can go in and do a search as appropriate and find information on the next of kin," Mulligan said.
    
The online form asks for the first and last names of the family member who is being registered, as well as his or her address (if known), age and any additional comments that could aid in identifying him or her. The person who registers the family member is also asked to give his or her name, address, and relationship to the next of kin. All the information is securely transmitted and stored on a secure server.  "The only people that can access (the information) are law enforcement and medical examiners," Mulligan said. Whatcom County Under sheriff Carey James said he thinks the registry has potential as a law enforcement tool. "I'm going to definitely make (this information) available to the officers here and explain it to them as best I can," James said. "If it can be used as a resource to better do our job, I'll let them make those decisions."  Lynden Police Chief Jack Foster said he agrees that the National Next of Kin registry has potential to be a valuable tool in larger cities--
    Contact Bronlea Hawkins via e-mail at <reporter@ lyndentrib.com>.

Bronlea Hawkins
Lynden Tribune
reporter@lyndentrib.com
 

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March 6, 2004
WASHINGTON
The Bellingham Herald

Next-of-kin online listing aids police
COMMUNICATIONS: Encrypted information is available only to subscribing law enforcement agencies.

Katie N. Johannes, The Bellingham Herald

When law enforcement officers discover a death they or the county coroner have to figure out whom to notify.

A Bellingham Web development company launched a site this week that is intended to make that job easier, and improve communication to family members.

A new online registry allows the public to enter information about themselves and their family members, and allows only law enforcement personnel to have access to the information, said Mark Cerney, project manager for World Wide Generations, the company that developed the site.

At a news conference Friday in Bellingham, law enforcement officers thought of several instances in which the site would be helpful.

"Every day, we deal with transients out in the field," Bellingham Police Sgt. Flo Simon said. "This service could help us notify family members if they've passed."

How to register

To register, users log onto www.nokr.org and fill in contact information such as the family member's name and address. Fields for phone numbers, date of birth and identifying marks are optional.

Users fill out the same information about themselves and check a box to indicate how they are related.

Cerney said the information is encrypted and secure, and the only people who can access the information are law enforcement personnel who have set up accounts.

The site is free to users, and is funded by donations.

When a person is found dead, law enforcement officers or coroners will search telephone listings, and marriage and Social Security records.

"This (site) decreases the time we have to look for the next of kin," Simon said.

Helps in accidents

Washington State Patrol Capt. Bob Lenz agreed, adding that identifying next of kin is crucial information after fatal car accidents.

"There is a real sense of urgency in getting the information to the next of kin before (a family member) sees it in the news," Lenz said.

He suggested to Cerney that they consider putting people's pictures on the Web site.

Lost relatives

The site also can be used to find family members of people who are still alive, but who have gotten lost, perhaps because they have Alzheimer's disease, said World Wide Generations Northwest manager Mel Mulligan.

And it could especially helpful in the cases of people who have died out of state.

Mulligan said he knew someone on the East Coast who was hospitalized for three days after a car crash before any of his family members knew about it because many of them lived in different states.

"I can see that there would be more benefits for people interstate than intrastate," Lenz said.

Reach Katie Johannes at katie.johannes@bellinghamherald.com or call 756-2805.

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First-ever National Next Of Kin Registry launches Regionally
In Washington State

(Bellingham, WA March 5th  2004)
The first ever National Next Of Kin Registry (NOKR) launched today in Bellingham, Washington.

This is a new service offered to families and to Local and State Agencies. NOKR was created to assist in the rapid search for next of kin when a family member is missing, injured or has died. There has been no system or service of this kind in place, until now. The NOKR is an attempt to streamline this approach above and accelerate the location of family members.

Captain Bob Lenz with the Washington State Troopers was sent as representative from the Governor Locke's office. Capt. Lenz spoke about how this service would help with the interstate traffic fatalities that State Troopers respond to. Bellingham Police also spoke about the benefits of this registry, which will aid in locating the next of kin, especially the transients . 

We do have a larger number of people now registering since the launch today stated Mel Mulligan, who sits on the NOKR Board of Directors. We’ve had inquires from across the state, from law enforcement as well as Coroners and Medical Examiners. We’ve spoken to the press largely to explain to them how this concept was born and the benefits to the public and to law enforcement. This is free to the public as well as the agencies using the search database. The search database is only accessible by registered law enforcement agencies using this service for official use to locate a next of kin rapidly.
 

National Next Of Kin Registry NOKR
Website. https://www.nokr.org

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