City of Olivette Police Department
Child Abduction Information
Every parent is aware of the crime and hopes that it will not happen to their children. But, when it does happen, those same people didn’t think that it would happen to them, or someone they know. They usually think that they have “taught their kids better than that.” The truth is, you can never be prepared enough. Children are constantly growing and are capable of understanding more and more as they age. And perpetrators are constantly thinking of new ways to outsmart the children.
A study by the Justice Department in 2002 estimated that there were 115 cases in 1999 where a stranger abducted a child. That number may seem high because these are the cases that are most often heard about. Compare that to the more than 58,000 children who are abducted annually by a non-family member, usually a girlfriend/boyfriend as a result of a dispute; and the more than 200,000 children that are abducted each year by a family member. These cases are usually a result of an argument over custodial/visitation rights.
Abductors are becoming ever more intelligent on how to capture the interests of children. As kids, parents learned never to take candy from a stranger. This still holds true, along with an endless list of additional possibilities. Suspects have been known to approach children by bicycle asking about new bike paths or by asking about a lost pet. Sometimes, people that a child may know, such as a sports coach or teacher may approach the child in an inappropriate manner.
Growing up, the parents were always taught to stay away from strangers. Teaching children about dangerous situations is better than teaching them about “stranger danger.” Sometimes children need to know that they can go to a stranger when a dangerous situation happens. The use of role-plays will greatly help children recognize a dangerous situation if it should happen; and the continuous practicing of these role plays will help reinforce the rules that you as parents have instilled upon your family. Practice situations such as someone calling on the phone or knocking on the door. Be sure to practice asking the children inappropriate questions. Children need to realize what the inappropriate questions might be. Also tell them that if they think there is something wrong about a situation, that if there is any question about what to do, they should ask their parents. Children should feel free to talk to their parents about anything, and parents should respond to their children in a calm manner, so as to not frighten the child or make them think they did something wrong.
According to the Children’s Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis, many parents question as to what age they should start talking to their children about these dangers. The fact is most children will start to understand these situations at a very young age. Simply telling your child that an adult should not touch any part of the body that is covered by a bathing suit can be understood by children as young as 3 years old. Pointing to body parts on a doll and telling your children the same thing can be just as effective. It has been suggested by many crime protection organizations to establish a family rule of “no secrets allowed.” Tell children that if an adult says it’s a secret that it is a trick for adults to get out of trouble and that they need to tell a parent the “secret” right away.
The Dignity Memorial Escape School, founded in 1997, was established to help teach children how to escape from strangers. The most effective deterrent is screaming. Screaming not only deters an abductor, it also attracts the attention of nearby people. Teach children to scream as loud as they can and not to stop. Also tell your child that they have permission to tell an adult “NO.” Give children an idea of what to say if someone approaches them. Screaming and yelling, “No, I’m not getting in your car,” for instance, will attract attention of people nearby and alert them to the situation. Children should also be taught that they could go to a stranger for help. As the Escape School advises, the “Velcro technique” works well. This technique teaches children to run to a nearby adult and grab that person as tightly as they can while continuing to scream for help.
If an abductor does succeed in luring the child into a car, children should be taught to do anything they possibly can to get out or attract attention. Grabbing the wheel, stomping on the gas pedal, honking the horn, etc. are effective ways to show an abductor that the child is going to put up a fight. Most abductors will not want to put up with a fighting child. If an abductor puts the child in the trunk of the vehicle, teach your children to pull out the wires to the brake lights, or show your child where the emergency trunk release latch is and how to use it.
It is the hope of the Olivette Police Department that this or any other traumatic situation does not happen to your family. As a police department, we can help you, as parents, teach your children to be safe. Please refer to the links listed below and our other helpful links for more information on this topic and many others.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
National Crime Prevention Council (McGruff)