Hope For The Best, Prepare For The Worst

Summer is here and many parents will be taking their children on the great American adventure: the summer holiday! If you are traveling with little children, you may want to go over a few safety pointers with your kids before beginning your journey:

1. Avoid having your child wear or carry anything with his or her first name on it. An abductor could pretend that he or she knows your child by using his or her first name.
2. Teach your child that adults should not ask children for help—they should get  help from another adult, and that your child should never go with someone to help find a lost puppy or to see someone’s newborn kittens. I know that this seems cliche, but every week I read reports of abductions that have occured somewhere in the United States, and unfortunately, these ruses work every few weeks or so.
3. Establish a family code word that the child should ask for in the event someone other than you has to meet the child somewhere. Tell your child not to go with the person unless she or he knows the family code word. Likewise, if you have someone meet your child when you are not present, be sure to share the family code word with that person.  
4. If you are visiting a special attraction such as a state or national park, take a photo of all of your child at the very start of each day.  If you use a digital camera, you can supply this photo to law enforcement or mall personnel in the event you are separated from your child.
5. Teach your child his or her full name, your name, and your home address and home/cell phone number including the area code. Have your child practice dialing the phone number, including the area code.
6. Consider creating an identification kit for each child. These kits generally include your child's fingerprints, a photo of your child in regular clothing (not in costume or dressed up, but as your child generally appears each day). Be sure to update the photograph every six months. Some kits allow you to save a DNA sample (buccal swab or hair strand with a juicy root). Some law enforcement agencies or child location groups will offer child identification kits as a community service or you can find directions to create your own kit on the Internet. Child Quest International offers digital fingerprinting and child education workshops for schools, and their website has child safety information.

While only about 200 non-family child abductions that end in fatality occur every year in the United States, it is difficult for adults to think about this subject much less discuss it with their children. Los Gatos is such an idyllic and beautiful community, no one wants to believe that an abduction would occur here, but let's prepare our children to be safe. 

If you would like additional tips on how to protect your child and how to discuss this subject with your child, please visit the National Center on Missing and Exploited Children. There you will find many wonderful materials and age-appropriate information sheets that you can use to discuss safety tips with your child for every situation and holiday.

Next week I will be addressing the issue of family abductions and the role the Santa Clara County District Attorney plays in the location and recovery of children abducted by a parent or other relative. If you have an idea or suggestion for future articles involving kids and the law, please e-mail me at jsylva@da.sccgov.org.