Protect Your Kids!
Sadly we no longer live in a world where can parents can just assume their kids are safe. The most dangerous thing a parent can do is think "That would never happen to US! Our child would never be abducted!" On every single case I worked, the parents would inevitably say to me "We never thought it would happen to us!" But it did.
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Our government is so corrupt now, they're trying to "normalize" pedophilia, calling themselves "Minor attracted persons". Bullshit - pedophilia is a mental illness and a CRIME and word salad doesn't change that fact.
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So what can you as parents do to protect your children? It's not as difficult or time consuming as you might think!
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Americans are notorious for sleep walking through life, wandering around with their faces in their cell phones. We've become a nation of addicted tech junkies.
Not long ago, I had not 1 but 2 families approach me who had their children standing right next to them in stores. Mom in both cases told me they were looking at their cell phones so never saw the abductor start leading their child away. It happens that fast.
Luckily, other shoppers were more alert and prevented the abductors from getting away with the children. Had it not been for those aware shoppers, those 2 little kids would've been GONE and likely never recovered.
Be aware of your surroundings, especially in public places in which you have your children
Put the cell phone down and keep your eyes on your kids at all times. Remember, these abductors can snatch a child in about 30 seconds. Practice your observation skills.
This is a really simple thing to do and it's how those of us in law enforcement learned to hone our observation skills.
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Get yourself one of those "find the object" games. Or you can even use a "Find the Hidden Objects" game app. But rather than list the objects it instructs you to find, I want you to study everything you see in that illustration for 10 minutes. Then remove the illustration from your sight and list all the objects you remember in that illustration.
The more you do this, the keener your observation skills become.
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For example, how many of you look at parked cars as you walk through a parking lot with your kids? How many of you would notice something like this on a parked car or even your own car?
Yes, that is how child traffickers are marking cars so they know which vehicles have children in them that they can snatch and traffick. 1f1b does indeed stand for 1 female, 1 baby. This is why it's so important to be aware of your surroundings. Your child could get targeted and you not even be aware of it - unless you're observant!
Get your child a cell phone
Most kids now have cell phones but if you child doesn't have one, get them one so they can phone for help if they're approached. Install a GPS tracking app so your child can be tracked! Best Parental Control Apps for Kids
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I had another mother come to me recently with a story about her daughter and her cousin. The girls had no cell phone and went out to ride their bikes in a nearby park.
Enroute to the park, they noticed a car with a man driving, following them. He passed them several times. Luckily they ran into an adult woman in the park walking her dog and went to her for help. This woman phoned the girl's mother and reported the 2 girls were being followed and that she had seen this same car drive past them several times while she was on the phone with the girl's mother.
Unbelievably, once she knew the girls were safe this mother never phoned the police to report the man in the car following her daughter and the cousin! I couldn't believe my ears. And what would've happened to those 2 girls if they hadn't found the woman walking her dog, to go to for help?
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Teach your kids to first call 911 if they feel threatened by a stranger, THEN phone you.
It's not enough to teach your kids "Stranger Danger" anymore!
As the following video will demonstrate. This was a CONTROLLED experiment with an actor portraying the potential abductor. You can see the reaction of the parents when their kids go with the abductor, despite the kids having been taught about stranger danger. Imagine what your reaction would be if one of those kids had been YOUR child and it was a real abduction.
Teach your kids critical thinking skills. Yes, you have a busy life...but take the time to do some role playing involving hypothetical situations involving strangers so you can see how your kids would likely react in situations involving strangers approaching them when you're not with them.
Keep an updated file on your child
I can't begin to tell you how important this is! The first 48 hours of any abduction are critical and the odds of your child surviving with each passing hour after that drop significantly. So you don't want to waste valuable time trying to get needed current information about your child for investigators.
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The file should include:
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A very recent photo of your child
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The child's fingerprints. You can go to any police station and ask them to fingerprint your child
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Contact and emergency contact information, including the names and phones numbers of someone trusted close to you, that investigators can contact if you can't be reached
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Notation of any identifying marks your child has - birthmarks, piercings, tattoos, scars, etc.
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Routes your child normally travels - to and from school, friends' homes, etc.
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The child's most recent dental records and contact information for their dentist
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Any medical conditions your child has that requires daily medication or treatment, such as asthma, diabetes, etc. and what medications they require for it
Instruct your child to travel in a group
This won't necessarily prevent an abduction as practiced as these abductors are, but it will make it far more difficult for them to abduct your child. This includes your teens! Right now, they are the #1 targets for child traffickers. Yes, your teens may roll their eyes and put up a fight...stand your ground with them.
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Similarly, know who their friends are, where they hang out, etc. Instruct your kids to phone you if their plans change so that you know where they are at all times.
Both you and your kids take some self defense classes
Even little kids can defend themselves if they know what self defense moves to make!
Focus on a discipline like judo or jui jitsu where a smaller victim can take down someone twice their size. Or a self defense class that focuses on what to do if grabbed - poke at the abductor's eyes, kick them behind the knees, use pressure points to disable them, etc. long enough to get away from the abductor.
Not only will you and your child be prepared, it's good exercise and discipline.
Get in the habit of snapping a pic
If your child is going out without you present, snap a quick picture of them with your cell phone. That way you have a record for investigators of what your child was wearing if and when they disappeared. In the case of a potential abduction, you will be in a panic and will not remember this critical information investigators need.
Set up a password
Set up a password between yourself and your child for anyone designated to give them a ride anywhere - example, picking them up from school. Instruct them even if they know the person giving them a ride well to demand the driver give them that password.
If the driver can't give them that password, DO NOT GET INTO THE VEHICLE and head back into the school or nearby building where there are adults that can help them.
Set up a neighborhood watch group
We found abducted kids were under surveillance by their abductors for up to 2 weeks before the actual abduction took place - including at the child's school. They know your child's routine like the back of their hand before they ever snatch your child.
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Setting up a neighborhood watch group helps deter these traffickers. The watch group can spot potential surveillance vehicles that don't belong in the neighborhood and help watch out for the safety of all kids in the neighborhood.
Post neighborhood watch signs in your homes, where they are clearly visible to anyone on the street.
True story: We set up a neighborhood watch in my old neighborhood down south. It was announced on the radio that a man in a black pick up truck had been reported at the grade school, attempting to pick up children.
I happened to look out my window shortly after that - that black pick up truck was trying to pick up my neighbor's young son as he rode his Big Wheel on our dead end street. When the man in the truck saw me running at top speed, yelling Ross' name, he took off like a bat outta hell. I got the license number so cops were able to pick him up later that day. Neighborhood watch groups really do work!
Install security cameras on the exterior of your house
Install security cameras on the exterior of your house, especially on entries and exits.
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If you can't afford the real deal, you can get fake decoy cameras that give the impression they're real cameras.
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You can purchase them for $10 and up from Amazon or Walmart.
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These scumbags are TERRIFIED
of being caught in the act on film or video because it can be used in court to convict them. It's why I always carried a camera with me before cell phones came out and I was being gangstalked. All I had to do was point my camera in their direction and they made an immediate disappearing act.
Watch what you post online!
I just cringe when I see what parents post about their kids online. Talk about laying out the welcome mat for potential child traffickers! (No, it doesn't matter that your privacy settings are set to PRIVATE!)
These pedo scumbags troll the internet looking for potential kids to abduct.
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Please don't post pictures of your children online nor information about them that a potential abductor could use to zero in on their location!
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Likewise, know what your kids are doing online, especially in chatrooms. Check their browsing history once in awhile and know their passwords, even if your kids don't like it.
Never leave your kids alone in a car, even for a few moments
Last year I had a dad come to me with a story of an attempted abduction of his kids in a feed supply store parking lot.
He'd noticed a particular man who seemed to be watching he and his kids as they made their way through the store. They'd finished their shopping and dad was loading their purchases in the back of his truck. Luckily, he'd had the foresight to lock his kids in the truck as he loaded the back of the truck.
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As he was loading the truck, the man who'd been watching them rushed the truck and tried to open the door to grab the 2 kids. That's how brazen these abductors have gotten.
Never leave your kids alone in a vehicle even if you're just running in to pay for gas for your car. At the very least lock the doors if the kids are old enough to understand "Don't unlock the doors for ANYONE until I get back."
Set up a "Just In Case" Group
As I said previously, the first 48 hours in any disappearance are CRITICAL. So you want to be prepared just in case.
Set up a group of family, friends, neighbors that live close to you, that can swing into action if your child goes missing. Each of these individuals will have a different job so you can cover as many bases as possible as quickly as possible.
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One parent should be in charge of working with the investigating agency, being in contact with them. You want to alert them ASAP as these abductors typically head for the nearest jurisdictional line in case they get caught. This creates jurisdictional conflicts that delay finding your child. Also you want police to get a BOLO and/or Amber Alert out ASAP.
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At least one member of your group should be charged with contacting media, other agencies and posting on social media. You want to get your child's photo out there and seen by as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.
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Another person can call your child's school, friends, hospitals, etc. to see if your child is at any of those locations.
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Yet another person with some computer skills should draw up missing posters to be distributed in your locale and get them printed out. Here's a template you can follow.
Your first instinct will be to rush out to help try to find your child. This is not the smartest nor most efficient thing to do. One parent should remain at home at all times in case the child would attempt to call there or show up there. In the case of single parents, utilize a family member or trusted friend as your "partner".
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The partner can go out with any search party and report back to you to update on what's happening. The following day, switch off. You join the search party, let your partner man the home front. Rotate and take turns doing active searching because searching can be very strenuous, especially in more rugged terrain.
Parents of missing children tend to burn themselves out very quickly...they can't sleep, can't eat, etc. Understandable! But if you're burned out, you're going to be far less effective in finding your child! You MUST take care of yourself as well during the time your child is missing. This is critical, even if you have to force yourself to try to sleep and eat. You're absolutely no good to your child if you're a hot mess in meltdown mode, not even thinking rationally.
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Have plans in mind for a location to set up a "command center" - be it in your home, your local church or whatever. That way everyone in your group can be easily instructed and overseen, not to mention called on to help with anything else that might come up. You'll normally find as word of your child's disappearance gets out, more and more people will show up wanting to help.
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It might also be a good idea to have someone in your group contact local fire departments, Scouting troops, etc. that would volunteer to help in the search for your child. This will help investigators out if they know you have people lined up to help them search. If you know pilots with airplanes or helicopters, try to enlist their help as well. Often more can be spotted (and more quickly) in an air search than a foot search.
The Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The Center can not only help get your missing child info out, they can help support and advise you.
Here is their website: Center for Missing & Exploited Children
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On the top menu, click on GET HELP.
Know what to expect when the investigation begins
I know how frustrating it can be for parents of a missing child once the investigation into their disappearance begins. But while we DO empathize, investigators have a job to do - to try to find your missing child as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, that process isn't a pleasant one for parents to endure.
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You will be asked some tough questions that may even sound insulting. The parents of the child have to be ruled out as persons of interest before anyone else - because the fact is, many child abductions are committed by family members and the way an investigation works is you start with the people closest to the child and work your way outward from there.
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You'll likely scream "I DIDN'T TAKE MY OWN CHILD! WHY AREN'T YOU OUT THERE, LOOKING FOR HIM/HER RATHER THAN WASTING TIME HARASSING ME?!!"
The answer is, because we want and have to as quickly as possible rule in or out those statistically most likely to abduct a child - say in nasty custody battles, etc.
The faster we can rule out those closest to the child, the faster we can focus on who we NEED to be looking for.
As aggravating as this is for the parent of a missing child, try to cooperate with investigators as much as you can and in any way you can. This also will tell investigators that you in fact, had nothing to do with your child going missing. The less cooperative you are, the more suspicion you'll draw to yourself.
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The second thing you need to understand is that while the investigation is ongoing, police will not be able to divulge things that might put that investigation at risk - say the abductor hearing things about the case that could panic him and endanger the child. There's always knowledge we withhold, that only the person who committed the crime would know and we withhold this information to help nail the offender. It's not that we don't want to tell you what's going on. We can't if we want to find the guilty party that took your child. Not to mention we're forced to work under the NDA's we signed when becoming a cop.
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Believe it or not, good and honest cops DETEST people who mess with children and we will do everything within our power to arrest the offender and put him away for a very long time, where he can no longer be a threat to other children. We will and do work our butts off on behalf of children, even though it may not seem that way to you during the investigation.
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At times, the investigation might stall simply because we've already chased down every lead we had to work with. Or we're preparing an airtight case that can be successfully prosecuted and result in a conviction and often, this takes time. It's not that we're not working on your child's case but we can only work with what we have to work with. There's a lot that goes into preparing a case for prosecution and even in chasing down leads. It's not at all like you see on TV where we catch the bad guy within the span of an hour long TV show.
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And we may or may not have a lapse of memory when it comes to remembering your child's name, but we never forget the faces of the missing kids we're still searching for. Many of us kept their pictures on or near our desks and we'd even continue to work those cases in our free time, right up until our retirement from the department or force. So don't think we've forgotten your child...we never do. They're etched in our minds.