Child Safety

THE POWER OF ONE In May of1980, when 22 year old Kim Swartz was 6 months pregnant with Amber Swartz, her police officer husband was killed in the line of duty by a man who still sits on death row. Tragedy struck for a second time on June 3, 1988, when 7 year old Amber Swartz, went outside to jump rope. She was never seen again - another in a list of thousands of children who disappear every year. Kim Swartz now devotes her life to educating the public and law enforcement, and sponsoring kidnapping legislation under her organization, the Amber Foundation for Missing Children. She was recently invited by President Bush to attend the first round table on missing children. Although the number of child abductions is down in recent years' statistics, recent high profile cases have brought awareness to the forefront. Law Enforcement has become much more sophisticated about apprehending child abductors since 1980. But Ms. Swartz asks that we still pass on much of what she has learned about these heinous crimes. Following is information she gave us, as well as some from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
CONTENTS

Click on the blue dot for the following articles

If your Child is Missing
Collect and Preserve DNA
Amber Alert
Safety Rules for Parents
Safety Rules for Children
Megan's Law

IF YOUR CHILD IS
MISSING

If your child disappears, you would immediately call law enforcement. However, while awaiting their arrival, keep everyone away from where your child was last seen. Even though there doesn't appear to be a crime scene, there is one, and it should be sealed off immediately whether in a shopping center or your front yard.

After a child abduction, people come out of the woodwork. Just as arsonists often return to their fires, child deviants often return to crime scenes. At one crime scene, when police took fingerprints of some of the 700 people gathered outside a missing child's home, they found two molesters. When psychics call, ask them to send their message in writing, or on a video. The child's immediate family should be isolated from crowds except for close friends. Their grief is overwhelming, and they simply cannot handle outsiders.

Know the volunteers who offer to help search. Watch for anyone who wants to search alone, or only with the family, or who doesn't want law enforcement to know. If someone doesn't want to give out personal information about themselves, that's a red flag. Get license plates. Take photographs and get thumb prints of people you don't know.

Use Neighborhood Watch groups to help search. They can be contacted quickly, know their neighbors, know the exits out of the area, the hiding places, and who plays with whom. One neighbor of Samantha Runyon lamented that if they had known their neighbors, who belongs there and who doesn't, perhaps the abduction wouldn't have happened.

During these critical times, give special care to other children in the family. In studying backgrounds of criminals, Ms. Schwartz reiterated that most had gone through childhood trauma. She mentioned, as an example, Cary Stayner, who is facing the death penalty for killing 3 women in Yosemite. His brother, Steven, was kidnapped in 1972 for 7 years, then died in a motorcycle accident shortly after he escaped. Cary's sister said her parents were so obsessed with finding Steven, that they lived essentially on their own.


COLLECT AND PRESERVE DNA

DNA is indispensable in matching forensic data. Every parent should make up a DNA kit using these guidelines from the Amber Foundation. For each sample, place in separate envelopes or freezer bags, marking each sample with child's name and date of collection. Make 2 sets of everything - one for yourself and one for law enforcement. In addition, teach your child about leaving trails of their DNA whenever they are lost - putting hands on windows, walls, and furniture.

FINGER/TOENAIL CLIPPINGS Clip child's finger and/or toenails, place in envelope with child's name and date of collection. Seal and store in dry place.

HAIR Pull out 4-6 strands of hair with the root. (Nape of the neck is less painful.)

TEETH Save, without washing, a fresh tooth that has fallen out. Air dry in safe place over night. Place in Freezer Ziplock and store in freezer. If you don't have a fresh tooth that has fallen out, use an old tooth and store in the same way. Also, don't throw away that last old toothbrush, and don't wash it off. Let it air dry over night, then place in double Freezer Ziplock and place in freezer. Biting onto a Styrofoam cup can give your child's tooth impression. Save this impression in a Ziplock.

BLOOD Save a bloody-band-aid. Air dry over night. Place in double Freezer Ziplock and freeze.

SALIVA With 2 cotton swabs, collect saliva from inside cheek area of child's mouth. Let swabs air dry over night. Place in double Freezer Ziplocks and freeze.

 
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AMBER ALERT In October, 2002 lawmakers moved ahead toward nationwide expansion of the "Amber Alert", named after the 1996 kidnapping and murder of 9-year old Amber Hagerman. Currently in use in California, and credited with helping several highly publicized recent rescues, the Amber Alert has now been expanded to include immediate notification to all law enforcement agencies and all trucker’s organizations.

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Safety Rules for Parents

NETWORKING Just as networking is the heart of Neighborhood Watch, networking with other parents is the best way to know what’s going on. Know where your children are, who they’re with, their friends and their parents, and what they’re doing. Set up a "safe house" in your neighborhood where children can go in an emergency.

OTHER CHILDREN OR ADULTS Know who is communicating with your children. Control computer activity. In numerous abduction cases, victims received E-mails, calls and letters from strangers unknown to parents. Be especially sensitive to adults or teenagers who are spending an unusual amount of time with your child or giving them unexplained gifts.

NAMES Keep visible children’s names off clothing and backpacks. This invites predators to call the child by name, creating a false sense of familiarity and trust.

CODE WORDS Don’t use code words. Children forget them in panic situations and predators are masters at playing games to find them out.

AWARENESS Pedophiles generally collect pictures of children. They often have youth-oriented decorations in their homes. Some homes have been described as miniature amusement parks.

PLAN AHEAD Go over every "what if" problem you can think of with your children. What if someone wants you to help them find their dog? What if a repair man wants to come into the house? Teach kids to say NO, to be assertive. Practice with them on how to get away from people. When grabbed at the wrist, children should pull down and twist their arms.

BUDDY SYSTEM Urge your children to use the buddy system, never go anywhere alone, or take short cuts through isolated areas.

AUTOS Never leave children alone in automobiles. Establish strict procedures for picking up children from schools and activities. Don’t let children accept rides from anyone with whom you have not made arrangements, even if they say they are teachers or police officers.

LISTEN, WATCH, BELIEVE, AND TALK        LISTEN carefully to your child who may be expressing fear of somebody or something. WATCH for changes in behavior, withdrawal, or crying. BELIEVE them, take them seriously. COMMEND them for talking to you. TALK with them, calmly, without scolding or anger. Kids who talk with their families are safer kids.

NEVER BELIEVE IT CAN’T HAPPEN IN YOUR COMMUNITY It can!


Safety Rules for Children

ALWAYS notify parents of where they’re going, who they’ll be with, and when they’ll return. They should never go anywhere alone or enter a car with any person that parents haven’t deemed OK. They should never enter anyone’s home while selling cookies or allow anyone into their own home while alone.

GIFTS Pedophiles often offer young children toys, candy, or money in an effort to lure them into situations where they become trapped. They offer older children sports equipment, CD’s, or modeling jobs. Children should never accept gifts without first checking with parents.

LOST If children become separated from parents in a public place, they should stop, look in 4 different directions for their guardian, then ask a cashier for help (who usually can’t leave the station). At the beach they should first look for a lifeguard, then mothers with children, or a group of people. A child should know by the age of 4 his parents full name and how to dial 911. All parents should have a plan of action for these situations.

ANIMALS Animals are powerful attractions for children. In the guise of looking for a lost pet, talking about a child’s own pet, or offering to see the perpetrators pet, molesters have lured willing children into autos and buildings.

ASKING FOR HELP Children should be wary of adults asking them for help, and should not get close to any car while alone. They have been grabbed by adults calling them over to a car to ask for directions.

PORNOGRAPHY Children should notify parents or authority figures immediately if they are ever asked to have their picture taken by someone, (even fully dressed), or if they are shown pornographic pictures, videos, or computer images.

TOUCHING Children should be taught that it is against the law for ANYONE except a trusted family doctor to touch them in a way that is not OK, or anywhere that a bathing suit covers. They should also be taught that people who ask them to keep secrets from their parents are not safe to be with.

HEROES AND AUTHORITY FIGURES Pedophiles often pose as sports figures or uniformed security guards or police officers to gain access to children. Any legitimate policeman will have a car nearby or will honor a request to have his credentials checked via a phone call.

EMERGENCIES Children panic when they hear of an emergency in their family, and will generally follow someone who bears this news. Plan ahead with spouses, neighbors or friends on who will contact your children in case of an emergency.

MOST IMPORTANT Convicted sex offenders have indicated that WHAT SCARED THEM MOST WAS A CHILD MAKING A SCENE. THEREIN LIES THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A CHILD SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO DO IF CAUGHT IN A TRAPPED SITUATION - SCREAM, YELL, KICK, BITE, RUN! MORE KIDS GET AWAY BY THIS METHOD THAN ANY OTHER! It is also generally true that, even with a weapon, an abductor will not shoot, at least at the scene of the abduction, for fear of someone hearing. All the more reason to get out of there as fast as you can!

TEENAGERS Teenagers and even college students should be cautious of job opportunities where interviews are held in remote places, by unknown companies, or advertised with just a post office box. Predators often use lures of modeling jobs or talent auditions which take place in remote rural areas or in hotels. And MOST IMPORTANT, sixth graders through teenagers, unlike younger children, are too smart, too dignified, or too cool to scream, kick and yell, which is often their only way out.

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MEGAN’S LAW Under the state’s Megan’s Law, the California public has access to a load of data about sex offenders at our Sheriff’s station. When the public views the computer, they will see a picture of the offender, a physical description, and their convicted offenses. The public does not have access to the offender’s address. Offenders are classified in three categories: high risk (usually committed a violent sex offense), serious (all other sex offenses), and others (normally indecent exposure conviction). As of now, 2002, our zip code (90275) does not list any high risk offenders, which would be disclosed to the public for their protection. However, be aware that none of the accused in the recent high-profile child kidnappings in California were registered sex offenders.

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