Ways to Protect Kids from 'Stranger Danger'
Kidnapping is possible in Sweetwater, county By JoeMax Tomlin/Reporter Staff Writer As warmer weather approaches, big community events begin to pop up, and outside play-time for local children comes into view. Crimestoppers and the Sweetwater Police Department want to give you some tips on how to protect your children during one of the busiest times of the year for child abduction and kidnapping. According to the Texas Penal Code, Section 20.04, aggravated kidnapping is defined as a person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly abducts another person with the intent to: hold him for ransom or reward, use him as a shield or hostage, facilitate the commission of a felony or the flight after the attempt or commission of a felony, inflict bodily injury on him or violate or abuse him sexually, terrorize him or a third person, or interfere with the performance of any governmental or political function. A person commits an offense if the person intentionally or knowingly abducts another person and uses or exhibits a deadly weapon during the commission of the offense. An offense under this section is a felony of the first degree. Some ways to protect kids from “stranger danger” include: € Teach your kids: their full name, date of birth, and who lives in the house with them, where their parent or guardian works and what they drive, their street address and home telephone number, and how and when to call 911. € Teach them at least one relative and or family friend that can be called who is authorized by the parent to assume care, custody and control of the child in the event that the parent or guardian is unavailable, injured, or otherwise incapacitated. € Teach them not to approach any person or vehicle they do not know. If someone calls to them or tries to approach them, teach them to run away, screaming as loud as they can. If they are caught by a stranger, teach them to fight their attacker in any way they can, making as much noise as possible. € In the event they are allowed to walk to and from school, the parent needs to know the path taken to and from school, along with what their child is wearing each day, their height, weight, eye color, and hair color, who their child's friends are, where they live, and how to contact their parent or guardian. € Have check-in times for your children, requiring them to let you or another family member know when they leave and when they return. Parents should know who their children are with and where they will be if needed. € If your child has to stay at home alone, make sure they know fire escape routes and have a designated meeting area or a specific place to go until the parent arrives. Make sure they know to keep the doors locked and not to open it to anyone they do not know as a family friend or relative. If someone calls them on the phone when they are home alone, tell them to never tell the calling party that they are home alone, but have your child tell them that you are busy and that they can leave a number so you can call back. € Have a password with your children so that if anyone other than the responsible person at-tempts to pick them up in place of you, they can confirm it is okay to leave with them by use of the password. € Take time to sit down as a family and discuss whatever issues or ideas each family member is feeling. Allow your children to speak freely about issues that concern them. Listen to their concerns and then act on them accordingly. If you have any information on suspicious activity in your area, contact the Sweetwater Police Department at 236-6686, Nolan County Sheriff's Office at 235-5471, or Crimestoppers at 235-TIPS. http://www.sweetwaterreporter.com/articles/2006/03/13/news/news5.txt