Muskego Police Pass Along FBI Tips to Keep Kids Safe

Muskego Police Lt. Dave Constantineau recently attended a conference where one of the presenters, a retired FBI agent, spoke about keeping kids safe.

The agent provided 10 safety tips every parent should know, and we are sharing them with you:

1. Communication: It is important to talk openly with your children about all safety issues, including what to do in a potential abduction situation.

2. Knowledge is power: Talk to your children about the rules pertaining to strangers. Let them know a stranger or predator looks just like any other person and will use several ways to lure a child.

3. Know the tricks. Common predator lures include pretending to look for a lost pet, asking the child for directions, giving or promising candy and/or money if the child will go to their car, and threatening to hurt family members if the child does not comply.

4. Never label clothing, backpacks, or other personal items with your child’s name. A predator will use this information to try to gain your child’s trust.

5. Have a plan. Give your children instructions on what to do if they get separated from you in a mall, supermarket or any other public place…go to a check-out counter, information desk, or approach a police officer.

6. Make sure your child knows his/her full name, address, and phone number and the phone number for the place where you work or how to contact you. They also need to know how to dial 911.

7. Know where your children are at all times, and keep a list of their friends’ addresses and phone numbers.

8. Remember to update your children’s records, including a photo, every 6-12 months.

9. Practice, Practice, Practice: going over this information once with your children is not enough! You must continue to rehearse and “role play” to make the learning permanent so your child can react properly under pressure.

10. Stay calm. If your child is missing, try not to panic. First check everywhere in the house, then check with your neighbors and your child’s friends. If you still cannot locate them, call the police immediately. Remember, there is no waiting period required to report a missing child to police. In fact, Wisconsin Act 268, effective 04/24/12, makes it a crime for a parent, step-parent, guardian or legal custodian of a child to not report a child missing. Children under 13 must be reported within 24 hours; children between 13 and 16 must be reported within 48 hours; and older than 16 must be reported within 72 hours.