SEATTLE — As children head back to school, law enforcement is urging families to take the time to talk about safety.
“It’s okay to tell strangers ‘No,’” Sergeant Darren Moss, Jr. with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said. “That’s the big thing.”
In July, three girls jumped into action in Kent when they spotted a 6-year-old girl being led away by a stranger holding tightly to her wrist.
In the cell phone video they recorded, you can hear the girls demanding if the man is related to the child.
“She just said no,” one girl said. “Walk away. You’re not related to her.”
Sergeant Moss walked KIRO 7 through some of the topics parents should talk about with their kids as they head back to school.
That includes how strangers will try to trick them, either by promising something or asking for help.
“Just to say that there’s grown-ups that are bad is not good enough because they will present as nice,” he said. “So, they need to understand they’re tricksters.”
Moss said if someone grabs them, tell them to resist and make a big commotion so other people notice.
He advises parents to identify safe places their children can run to in an emergency.
“We want the kids to either go back to the house, go to the school, or find an adult that they trust or know right away-- if that’s your neighbor that you know from down the road, run to that person’s house,” he said.
In January, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department investigated after three students in three days in the Bethel School District reported a man chasing them on their way to school.
“The big thing is to not have kids waiting by themselves if you can avoid that,” he said.
When it comes to getting to school safely, Moss said bright, reflective clothing can be helpful, especially as fall turns into winter.
He said to make sure kids know not to take shortcuts and that they know where there are sidewalks and crosswalks. And, he said, have a pick-up plan.
“Whatever tools that you have or any kind of codes that you want to use or just making sure your child understands, ‘Hey, you won’t be changing this schedule unless Mom or Dad says so,’” he said. “If there’s an emergency, who would be the people that would come get you from the school?”
Though it can be tough, Moss urged parents to have conversations with their children about what’s going on in their lives at school and at after-school activities, including anything that might seem weird or uncomfortable.
“Parents need to have these conversations with their kids about inappropriate touching, inappropriate conversations, or inappropriate contact with adults,” he said. “If you do hear something that’s that sounds off or sounds weird, or your kids expand on something that happened... we want you to call the police right away so we could start investigating.”
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