How To Protect Your Child

Evil predators have commenced an all out frenzy, stealing our most precious gifts that God has blessed us with, our children. The recent crime wave of abductions murders commenced with Elizabeth Smart in Utah, who's still missing. Then a couple weeks later, that precious 5 year old with the innocent loving smile, Samantha Runnion was kidnapped and murdered. And of course you know about that 9 year old boy in California where armed men broke into the home hurt the father and disappeared with the boy. Here is a list of how you can protect your children:

1) Have them fingerprinted and submit a DNA swab specimen. Forensic science is incredibly effective and accurate and and could help locate your child even before a kidnapper would have ample time to cause harm to the child. In many cities and even small towns, police departments do this for free.

2) If you are a cell phone family, teach even your youngest child how to use a cell phone, and provide them with one. They may not have a chance to make a call for help if they are abducted. However, if they can throw the phone in the grass in a yard or somewhere at the spot of the attack, it will be known immediately who the abducted child is, and his-her fingerprints will be on the phone. If they can make a quick call to 911 for help, even if a struggle is going on and the phone is destroyed, the 911 call center has the incoming phone number and can pin point the approximate location of the abduction.

3) Teach your children to avoid walking alone. Most kidnappers will avoid contact with a child who is with friends, even one friend. Because he knows that one of the children would likely escape and call for help like what happened in Cleveland, Ohio in August 2002.

4) Express the imperative importance of never going too close to a stranger or his car. Even the nicest and friendliest looking person could be a devil in disguise and we need to teach our children that not all people are bad people, bu there are lots of other people who are. Someone could very easily get a job at Dominos with the lit up sign on their car, wearing the uniform and the whole 9 yards, pull up to a couple kids on the sidewalk to ask for directions or something and then take them by surprise. So it is imperative to teach our children to never get too close to a car. No matter who's driving, Male or Female. No matter how many people are in it. And teach your kids what a real police car looks like. That it will have numbers on it and no license plate.

5) Block Homes. Talk to your neighbors, especially ones who have kids of their own. Establish a safe house system in your community. A house where there is usually someone at home. A house where a stay-at-home mother is there with her children in the day time. Or a house where a retired couple live, who are home most of the time. Teach the children to run to one of these homes and scream loudly all the way to the door if something doesn't seem right.

6) Other basic rules to teach your child: As soon as your child can articulate a sentence, they can begin the process of learning how to protect themselves against abduction and exploitation. They should be taught that if in a public place and get separated from their parents, don't wander around looking for them. Go to a checkout counter, security office, or the lost and found and quickly tell the person in charge that they have lost their mom and dad and need help in finding them.

7) That they should not get into any car or go anywhere with any person unless their parents have told them that it is okey.

8) If someone follows them on foot or in a car, stay away from him or her. And seek help or shelter immediately.

9) Grownups and other older people who need help should not be asking children for them; they should be asking older people.

10) That no one should be asking them for directions or to look for a lost puppy or telling you that your mother or father is in trouble and that he will take you to them.

11) If someone tries to take you somewhere, quickly get away from him or her and yell or scream, "this man is trying to take me away" or "this person is not my father or mother." And better yet, don't scream for help, yell FIRE instead as it will get immediate attention.

12) You should always use the buddy system and never go places alone.

13) Always ask your parents permission to leave the yard or play area or to go into someone's home.

14) Never hitchhike or try to get a ride home with anyone unless your parents have told you it is okey to ride with him or her.

15) No one should ask you to keep a special secret. If he or she doess, tell your parents or teacher.

16) No one should touch in in the parts of the body covered by the bathing suit, nor should you touch anyone else in those areas. Your body is special and private.

17) You can be assertive, and you have the right to say NO to someone who tries to take you somewhere, touches you, or makes you feel uncomfortable in any way.

7 Ways To Prevent Child Abduction and Exploitation

1) Know where your children are at all times. Be familiar with their friends and daily activities.

2) Be sensitive to changes in your child's behavior; they are a signal that you should sit down and talk to your child about what caused the changes.

3)Be alert to a teenager or adult who is paying an unusual amount of attention to your children or giving them inappropriate or expensive gifts.

4) Teach your child to trust their own feelings, and assure them that they have the right to say NO to what they sense is wrong.

5) Listen carefully your child's fears, and be supportive in all your discussions with him or her.

6) Teach your child that no one should approach them or touch them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. If someone does, to tell you the parent immediate.

7) Be careful about babysitters and any other individual who might have custody of your child.

Always remember the world is full of people who have genuine compassion and love for children. It is important to your child that they be exposed to this genuine love and compassion and not constant paranoia and arguments. Keep your wits about you and your heads out of the clouds, and please do not get to the point of distrusting everyone. This dulls your senses and detracts from your attention to detail.

12 Steps For Protecting Your Child In Society:

1) Don't let your child wear clothing with his or her name on it. A child will tend to pay attention to anyone calling him or her by name.

2) Videotape and take black & white photos of your child two or three per year, including profile shots.

3) Do not leave a child unattended while shopping, visiting with neighbors or friends, or running errands. Under no circumstances should you leave a child alone in a car ot truck.

4) Make sure your child always checks with you before going anywhere with anyone.

5) Make sure your child learns his or her address and phone number at an early age. A second phone number of a friend or relative is also helpful.

6) Teach your child how to make a collect phone call, and to gegin with "Operator...I'm in trouble...I need your help."

7) If your child is a latch-key kid, make sure that he or she knows to keep all doors and windows locked, never let anyone know that he or she is alone, and never let anyone in the house, not even if they say its the police of fire department. Those kinds of professionals know to forcibly enter in case of an emergency.

8) Have your child fingerprinted (SafeSam ID-Kits are available from Child Search).

9) Know whether your child is left or right handed.

10) Keep a written log of all birthmarks, scars and identifying features, like moles or freckles.

11) Keep a growth chart of your child; know his or her height.

12) Make sure your child knows to scream and run if approached by anyone.

And help the angels protect your children............

NEW TECHNOLOGY WEAPONS ON THE MARKET! ! !

In Ohio, the new AMBERT ALERT will be initialized within the next month of September. Most states already have it in place. It is a method where if a child is kidnapped or missing, alerts go out immediately by satellite, radio, billboards, you name it, and it gives a child a chance for survival since immediate action is forced upon notification of a kidnapping. Governor Taft initiated the project for Ohio. The Amber Alert system has saved at least 22 children in 6 years. The Amber Alert system originated in Arlington, Texas after the 1966 kidnapping and murder of 9 year old Amber Hagerman. Time is a critical factor in kidnapping cases. Seventy-five percent of children who ae murdered by their kidnappers are killed within 3 hours of being taken. And so, after Hagerman's death, the Dallas/Forth Worth Association of Radio Managers proposed a method of quickly alerting the public, media and police when a child is kidnapped. Alerts are sent out via the Emergency Alert System (or Emergency Broadcase System, originally designed to disperse information after a nuclear attack) to law enforcement agencies and radio and television stations. The announcements are prefaced by a special Abducted Child Statement Code, to differentiate them from tornado or flood warnings. Some states also use large traffic alert signs on their highways, especially when the suspect is believed to have access to a vehicle. Currently, 15 states use Amber Alerts, two of those programs were implemented within the past 2 months. Forty-Nine variations on the Aleert system are in use across the county, and the Canadian government is considering a similar program. The system operates primarily in densely-populated metropolitan areas.

Another weapon already made is the SATELLITE CHILD-LOCATERS!

This is bracelet locked onto a child's wrist and worn like an oversized wrist watch, has built in technology that lets parents track their children whereabouts by Internet or phone. In a kidnapping or other worst case scenario, the wearer can contact 911 by pressing two buttons. Its very expensive but well worth it. Two pair would run about $800. and for monthly service fees, it would run about $30. Although expensive, it is well worth it. Although parents need to realize what these devices can and cannot do. It doesn't take the place of safety education and line-of-sight supervision like Cobra teaches on block watching. However, these 3 ounce locators Wasman is considered for release in September by Redwood Shores based Whereify which spent 4 years developing its locater and tracking service. Similar people trackers are offered by Applied Digital and other companies. Wherify's GP Personal Locator combines global positioning system satellite and digital wireless technology to pinpoint a wearer's position within a few feet. A special mode lets the parent reset times for tracking. The monitoring service would contact the paent by phone, pager of fax if the child isn't at the right location. Moreover this device is locked on a child. If a predator cuts it or forcibly removes the band, it would activate an alarm for the company's emergency operators. Although the device can be unlocked by key or remotely. Any other removal sets off an alarm and the child's position is pinpointed immediately.

ANOTHER DANGER FOR CHILDREN OR TEENAGERS WHO DRINK!

A double warning here. The same way teenagers are being doped up in clubs across the country by such drugs as ecstasy and others, they also now have to be wary of Visine and Murine eye drops. To always watch their beer that they might be drinking. One drop of Visine or Murine in their beer and they are out cold for hours. We have found many teens like this. And in this unconscious state they can be molested, raped or even murdered. This was a huge surprise on us until it also happened to one of our investigators who was drinking socially and never knew what hit him.

Cobra Missing Children Network, 511 Webster Avenue N.E., Canton, Ohio 44704-2053