Keeping kids safe away from home

Stories of abduction attempts have dotted the news recently. With school starting in a week, children will be out and about. In light of this, Butler County Sheriff Jason Johnson offered safety tips for children and their families.
To recap, in Shell Rock on Thursday, Aug. 4, a man tried to grab a boy at the U.S. Post Office and pull him into a white van. The boy was able to fight off the man and get away. Shell Rock Police are investigating.
The incident details — white cargo van, rust on rear doors, no offer of money — differed from incidents from earlier this summer, in Black Hawk and Grundy counties —silver car, offer of $100.
Multiple counties continue to follow up on abduction case leads, with nothing conclusive.
Johnson offered the following checklist of things families need to talk about, if they haven’t.
• Stranger danger: Tell your kids, if they don’t know somebody, to stay away.
• Use the buddy system. It’s safer to travel in pairs, and can lead to better decision-making.
• Accountability: Have a timeline of when and where each child will be outside the home. If the child doesn’t show up when expected, this should cue parents to investigate.
If something happens:
• Get away from problem, to safety.
“We’d rather if they had a choice that they got away rather than stuck around trying to get information,” Johnson said.
• Tell someone. Call 911. Find a law enforcement officer or another trusted adult, such as a teacher, family member or librarian to tell.
“Fortunately, in this part of the world most of our kids probably know some good person,” Johnson said.
• Regarding the timeline, adults should be aware of the chance for simple miscommunications.
Starting each school year, Johnson said, there tend to be a few issues, where it’s not clear if parents asked another family member to pick the child up from school. Family is advised to communicate any changes in pickups and drop-offs among themselves and to school staff, who can inform the child. “Keeping the school in the loop of any changes in pickup would be a good thing I would strongly recommend,” Johnson said.
“Schools do an excellent job of getting the kids transitioned, but we’re also out there too,” Johnson said. Law enforcement at county and city levels patrols the schools in the morning and afternoon — in addition to providing school resource officers.