kidnapping attempt

[fraidycat]

The "what to do if......" conversations have taken a back seat around our house, because I am with them so much now.

 

This attempted kidnapping report is a reminder to myself and maybe some of you to keep this conversation ongoing, because I am not with them 100% of the time (nor should I be).

 

Attempted Kidnapping

[Catwoman]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

That story is frightening on so many levels, not the least of which is that a little 10yo girl was an unsupervised "safety patrol volunteer." It's hard to even imagine that there were no adults present when an elementary school was letting out for the day. What were they thinking??? :confused:

 

Thank goodness the girl ran inside the building -- and how fortunate that the guy didn't get out of his car and grab her, because clearly there was no one there to help her -- unless you count the other young "safety patrol volunteers." :glare:

[kiwik]

Yeah that's what I thought. Since when did you send ten year olds to patrol crossings without an adult?

[Catwoman]

Yeah that's what I thought. Since when did you send ten year olds to patrol crossings without an adult?

 

I know! I have never heard of such a thing!

[swellmomma]

Out here and in my old neighborhood in the city. It was the grade 6 students that did the road crossing safety patrol. An adult was not right with them, whomever was watching the playground also kept an eye on them.

 

This is a conversation often in our home.

 

Back when I lived in the city, when I was pregnant with dd5 during spring break I was helping my boss clean and organize a new afterschool daycare she had just bought inside a school. As we worked inside we allowed my 2 older kids and her oldest one to head out to play on the playground alone. dd would have been 8 and my oldest and her's were 9. A man tried to lure dd away, she was promised dolls, she was promised treats. She yelled for the boys and the 3 ran back into the school and got us. By the time we got outside he was long gone. I had always told them what to do but never dreamed it would be put to the test. We still talk about it often, to this day I still praise her for her quick thinking. We also play the what if game where I change the scenario and see what they would do. I want them used to thinking quickly of plan A, B, C etc. Oldest for example gets "married" to a script of how to handle a situation and if the situation changes he really struggles with coming up with his next plan. It is something dd13 is very good at and that I am working with the others to do. The what if game is good for all sorts of issues, not just kidnapping, but I use it for first aid, home alone, emergency situations of all kinds both plausible and not(such as what would you do if a ufo crash landed into the roof and suddenly there is aliens beings in the attic).

[fraidycat]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

That story is frightening on so many levels, not the least of which is that a little 10yo girl was an unsupervised "safety patrol volunteer." It's hard to even imagine that there were no adults present when an elementary school was letting out for the day. What were they thinking??? :confused:

 

Thank goodness the girl ran inside the building -- and how fortunate that the guy didn't get out of his car and grab her, because clearly there was no one there to help her -- unless you count the other young "safety patrol volunteers." :glare:

 

Ya know...now that you mention it. Yeah. :glare:

 

That part didn't even really stick out in my mind, because that seems to be the norm. When DD was in public school, the 5th graders were "the big kids on campus", so they (some - high grades, more mature) were the ones out patrolling the crosswalks within one block each direction of the school on the main street in the morning and after school. I'm going to assume that in order to be part of this group they have extra training on the "what to do if..." scenarios. I hope so.

[kwg]

In my school, it was grade 6 also, but that was probably because they were the oldest in the elementary. They have now moved to middle school I think so 5th graders are left.

 

I have a 10 year old. SO scary. Thank you for the reminder to keep the discussions going.

[somo_chickenlady]

Yeah that's what I thought. Since when did you send ten year olds to patrol crossings without an adult?

 

 

At my son's elementary school, the 5th and 6th graders did the safety patrol with no adults other than by the front door of the school. The school, though, is set back in a neighborhood and not anywhere busy streets.

[Spryte]

So glad the girl was a quick thinker!

 

We had a recent kidnapping attempt in our area, too. It happened at the bus stop. A van drove up slowly, and a man got out and tried to grab one girl. She pulled away, and ran. The bus arrived about that time, and the bus driver helped the girl. I know that the girl actually lost a shoe in the scuffle. She must have been terrified. I will have to see if they caught the men - have not heard more news.

 

So, yes, we do need to keep going over this with our kids!

[In The Great White North]

Yeah that's what I thought. Since when did you send ten year olds to patrol crossings without an adult?

 

In my school (in the dark ages), the 6th graders were crossing guards and they were at most of the intersections in the neighborhood - not just in front of the school.

[unsinkable]

We had an incident like this several years ago. The whole town was looking for the man in the white pickup who told a girl to get in his truck.

 

The police even pulled a dad away from a soccer game to question him bc he drove a white truck.

 

After about a week, the girl confessed to making the entire story up.

[AngieW in Texas]

I was a crossing guard as a 6th grader. I didn't know any schools still used older elementary kids as crossing guards.

[In The Great White North]

Yeah that's what I thought. Since when did you send ten year olds to patrol crossings without an adult?

 

In my school (in the dark ages), the 6th graders were crossing guards and they were at most of the intersections in the neighborhood - not just in front of the school.

[DianeW88]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

That story is frightening on so many levels, not the least of which is that a little 10yo girl was an unsupervised "safety patrol volunteer." It's hard to even imagine that there were no adults present when an elementary school was letting out for the day. What were they thinking??? :confused:

 

Thank goodness the girl ran inside the building -- and how fortunate that the guy didn't get out of his car and grab her, because clearly there was no one there to help her -- unless you count the other young "safety patrol volunteers." :glare:

Yeah that's what I thought. Since when did you send ten year olds to patrol crossings without an adult?

I know! I have never heard of such a thing!

I was a safety patrol crossing guard in fifth grade. It was a few blocks from my school at a fairly decent sized intersection. I helped the kids cross in the morning and after school. Back in the old days (1975-76) when no parent ever walked their child to school, and if your mother DROVE you...you would have been mocked mercilessly.

[nono]

Our crossing guard assistants were 7th and 8th graders, and there was still, at minimum one adult crossing guard. I don't even know if there are "Safeties" anymore around here. That's what the 7th/8th graders' positions were called.

[Sahamamama]

That part didn't even really stick out in my mind, because that seems to be the norm. When DD was in public school, the 5th graders were "the big kids on campus", so they (some - high grades, more mature) were the ones out patrolling the crosswalks within one block each direction of the school on the main street in the morning and after school. I'm going to assume that in order to be part of this group they have extra training on the "what to do if..." scenarios. I hope so.

 

I was a crossing guard in 5th grade. Yes, we had to be the "good kids." I don't remember any "what to do" training. The most important thing to do was to keep the white guard sash and buckle squeaky clean. I remember scrubbing it in soapy water at home and hanging it up to dry every weekend. We were seriously scolded for not keeping it clean. No safety training my memory bank, though.

 

I was nearly killed doing this job. My post was on a busy crossroads, which at the time only had stop signs, not lights. A reckless driver jumped the curb going too fast around the sharp corner, and I dove over the hedges. He ran RIGHT over where I had been standing (on the sidewalk), and kept on going. Those bushes saved my life, even if they did take half my skin off.

 

IMO, there are other ways to give 9 or 10 year old children responsibility and leadership. Having 5th grade volunteer crossing guards IS a way to save the school board some money, isn't it? It was risky enough way back when. I question the wisdom of 5th grade crossing guards now.

[FaithManor]

I was a safety patrol crossing guard in fifth grade. It was a few blocks from my school at a fairly decent sized intersection. I helped the kids cross in the morning and after school. Back in the old days (1975-76) when no parent ever walked their child to school, and if your mother DROVE you...you would have been mocked mercilessly.

 

 

Oh, I remember those days. I walked to school, three blocks, with not one soul looking out for me. It was normal. Sometimes I walked home for lunch and the teachers never even bothered to watch me leave the building. During my kindergarten year, my mother did walk me each way each day. After that, I was on my own. But, I have to tell you, in all my growing up years there wasn't a single attempt to take or do anything inappropriate to a child coming and going from school or anywhere else for that matter in my town or any of the neighboring ones. The crazies stayed home apparently or were much more afraid of the law than they are now or something.

 

Nowadays it just seems almost scarily common by comparison even though statistically it isn't common...but certainly, exponentially more cases of this happening.

 

In our area, a couple of years ago, some sicko kept trying to lure blond haired little girls who had long hair braided or in ponytails. If he could get them into his truck, he'd cut the braid or ponytail off, and then release them. The police got him. But, I've often wondered what very twisted things went on in his head. The police never said what he did with the hair. I cannot imagine how frightened those little girls must have been.

 

We still have very, very little happen in this area with stranger abduction. But, we do seem to have a serious issue with custodial interference. One thing the schools have emphasized to parents is to have a code word that your child knows and tell both the principal and the home room teacher that your child cannot go with someone without confirming the password. If someone shows up and says, "Your mom asked me to pick you up." No code word, not going. I think this has a chance of working because there are retirees that volunteer at the elementary school to be on the sidewalks and in the crosswalks, plus street corners when the children who walk are dismissed. There are easily 15 adults out there so a child would definitely be able to make a scene and have this noticed. I would think this is a big deterant to sickos.

 

Faith

[VeganCupcake]

In my school (in the dark ages), the 6th graders were crossing guards and they were at most of the intersections in the neighborhood - not just in front of the school.

 

 

In my elementary school, this is what it was like, too. That was the 80s in Canada. Maybe it was/is a Canadian thing?

[Arcadia]

The 5th graders in our school district does the car drop off pick up duty with two teachers. There is at least 5 of the 5th graders. The crossing guards are all adults employed as crossing guards by the school district.

 

Having 5th grade volunteer crossing guards IS a way to save the school board some money, isn't it?

 

Silly but probably true.

 

Oh, I remember those days. I walked to school, three blocks, with not one soul looking out for me. It was normal. Sometimes I walked home for lunch and the teachers never even bothered to watch me leave the building.

We had informal walking groups where neighboring kids would wait for each other and walk home together. We get to walk home for lunch and than walk back to school for after school activities.

[Rai B.]

When I was in school, the "safety patrol" in the parking lot in front of the office didn’t have any supervisor actually out there with the students, though the ones down on the street itself did. No special training for the patrollers either.

 

I know where that school is! It’s close to a charter IB middle/high school we have considered, and a park we’ve been to.

[LittleIzumi]

Yeah that's what I thought. Since when did you send ten year olds to patrol crossings without an adult?

 

 

I was a crossing guard in 5th, no supervision.

[Tammyla]

Very scary....It always hit very hard when these incidents happen close to home.

 

We seem to have them regularly here, about once a year there is an attempt on a student. I have to admit being pretty surprised as we move from a big metro city to the Midwest and I expected less crime for some reason.

[UrbanSue]

At my son's elementary school, the 5th and 6th graders did the safety patrol with no adults other than by the front door of the school. The school, though, is set back in a neighborhood and not anywhere busy streets.

 

 

 

It's a common misconception, for some reason, that greater seclusion will result in a safer situation. But, really, you are much safer near a busy street where there will be a high potential for passerby to give you assistance and notice a struggle. And if there are buildings for you to run into.

 

In our neighborhood we have adult crossing guards near all the schools. But I remember in one neighborhood growing up, the oldest kids in the school were the safety patrol. They were probably fifth graders.

[somo_chickenlady]

 

 

 

It's a common misconception, for some reason, that greater seclusion will result in a safer situation. But, really, you are much safer near a busy street where there will be a high potential for passerby to give you assistance and notice a struggle. And if there are buildings for you to run into.

 

In our neighborhood we have adult crossing guards near all the schools. But I remember in one neighborhood growing up, the oldest kids in the school were the safety patrol. They were probably fifth graders.

 

 

I didn't mean that about it being safer from predators...I meant that there was only local traffic, so less of a need for adults at the intersections (getting ran over and such.) At his school, all but one intersection was visible at the school, though.

[Scarlett]

Yeah that's what I thought. Since when did you send ten year olds to patrol crossings without an adult?

 

 

In 1975 my school did. Surprised they still do though.

[caroljenn]

I used to pick up some friends' kids from public school. When the bell rang, they just let them all out, even the kindergartners!! 800 kids streaming every which way. A kindergarten teacher was standing by a gate but it was absolute chaos. It would be so easy for someone to get grabbed. The parents are either in their cars waiting or not even there - if one of the first kids out was grabbed, no one would be able to do anything about it.

 

Horrifying.

[MooCow]

The public schools in my town use crossing guards hired by the police dept.

[readinmom]

Most of our schools have a "traffic circle" for pick up. For those that walk, there is a school safety officer but only at the major crossings.

 

We have had attempted abductions in our area, as well, Quite frightening!

 

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=9018107

 

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=9023290

 

They think this is the same suspect. I won't let my daughter go five feet away from me these days. Dh thinks I'm overprotective sometimes but I say you can never be careful enough.

[Trish]

What if the 10-year-old needed to keep an eye on a baby in a stroller? Or somesuch.