TPD CHILD ABDUCTION PREVENTION

Tucson Police Department has a crime prevention site with some good information. So following the same vein of the last WSDT post - here is what they say on child abduction prevention:

Child Abduction Prevention

-Yell, Kick, & Scream - This may seem obvious, but many children freeze when they are grabbed by strangers. Kidnappers want children to go along quietly. Yell - "This person is a stranger!" Kick - kidnapper's foot, groin, or knee. Scream.

-Area Code & Phone Number - Make sure your child knows your area code and phone number. Does your child know how to make a collect call or dial in case of an emergency? Teach your child not to give your phone number or address to strangers.

-Buddy System - A child alone is an easy target. Encourage your children to use the buddy system and to watch out for each other.

-Current Photos & Records - Get photos taken every 6 months of your children and keep a photo on your person at all times. Fingerprints should be taken by a law enforcement, (TPD can assist you. More info here). Copies of their dental and medical records are a must.

-Lure Tactics - " I have lost my puppy. Will you help me find him?" "I'll give you $10 if you'll help me put this in the car." Parents, teach your children how to respond to these people. It is best to ignore them, avoid any conversation, and run.

-Family Code Word - Parents, a code word is a lock and key for your child. "Your Mom and Dad have been in a car wreck. You need come with me right now!" Child: " What is the code word?" If they don't know it then child doesn't go. The child runs away from that person and tells whomever is responsible for them--teacher or parent--what happened. Get a description of the perpetrator if possible.

-Separation Plan - Teach your children to go to a cashier or ticket booth if they are separated from you while at a mall, amusement park, or any place you travel.

-Check Route to School - The route to school should be established by a parent and under no circumstances should the child deviate from that route. Avoid alleys, etc.

-Notify School - Make sure the school will notify you if your child does not arrive at school. Let the principal know who is authorized to pick up your child.

-Communication - Keep good communication lines open with your children.
Neighbors - Organize a Neighborhood Watch group and participate in a safe home program.

-Child's Clothes - Make a mental note of what your child wears every day! Do not put your child's name on the outside of the clothing because it allows a stranger to become verbally intimate with your child. Put the name on inside of clothes.

LESSONS LEARNED

Over the past few months there has been a rash of attempted child abductions in the Tucson area.

On January 14th a 13 year-old girl was grabbed around the waist by a man trying to abduct her. He covered her mouth and told her not to scream. She did exactly the opposite and yelled until he let her go. She then went to a bus stop where other kids were waiting for the bus.

On January 19th a man in a pickup truck pointed a gun at a girl walking home from school and demanded she get in the vehicle. She ran away and escaped.

On February 5th a man in a pickup truck pulled a girl walking home from school into the vehicle. She screamed and fought with him while he drove until he pushed her out of the truck. She sustained minor injuries.

On February 11th a man tried to pull 2 sisters walking to school into his mini-van. He got the 11 year-old in the car and drove off as the 9 year-old was screaming. Neighbors came out, with one man giving chase. The multiple descriptions of the car and partial plate number quickly led police to the kidnapper. He did not have the girl at the time of his arrest. She was found later, injured and walking in a local park. She sustained the injuries when she fought her attacker.

911 tapes released in Tucson kidnapping case

Abduction of an 11-year old girl: update and arrest

Cops: Child-kidnap suspect not linked to other recent case

Man Arrested in Student Abduction Cases

Four horrific stories and 5 brave girls that did the right thing in a bad situation. The fought, screamed, kicked and yelled for help until their attackers let them go. They followed both the stay with people and go to people principles taught in Fight Like a Girl and Girls on Guard. As a result, 2 of the 3 attackers were arrested and the girls are still alive. What those girls did took courage and strength. Now, take what they did and learn from it. Don’t get in the car. Attract attention. Fight back.

SEMINAR OFFERING

Attention! Attention! Attention! Did that work?

We will be offering the women’s self-defense course (from Defend University's Women's Empowerment Series) Fight Like A Girl (FLAG) on Sunday March 21, 2010. This 3 hour seminar will run from 1- 4 PM and will teach how to effectively escape from common sexual assault scenarios. The investment is $40.00 for the seminar. If you recommend a friend who has not taken the course before, you will receive a $5.00 discount off your fee. Due to the nature of the subject matter discussed in this seminar, participants need to be over 14 years of age and participants under 18 need to have the written permission of a parent or guardian.

The FLAG module emphasizes the “stay with people" principle and covers the most common sexual assault scenarios. In this seminar students will learn what to do when rape is imminent. We will start in the worst possible position (because once you learn to handle that, the others seem easier in comparison) where an attacker has you pinned to the ground then progress to other possible attack senarios. At the end of the class students will have the opportunity to practice their newly learned techniques on male role-players, men in (very) padded training suits, so students can get an opportunity to practice what they learned in a reality based situation. This is a female only class. The only men in attendance will the male role-playing ("bad guys”) instructors. Please email for further seminar and payment information. womensselfdefense@hotmail.com. See you there.

You have one life. Fight for it.

A WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION

I’m not much of a girl. You know – a girlie girl. Never have been, don’t plan on every being. No make-up, hair in a ponytail, physical pain when I am forced to wear a dress and heels. I can count on the unmanicured nails of one hand how many times my fingernails have been painted. My sister once observed about a boyfriend of mine, (the kind girls dream of – a flower-bearing, poetry-writing romantic) “Suzanne, if he were a guy he’d be just like you”.

So when I started looking for a women’s self-defense method to teach that was not martial arts based (because I don’t believe you can effectively teach a martial art in 3 hours) and came across “Fight Like A Girl” from the Women’s Empowerment Series developed by Brad Parker out of Phoenix, Arizona (www.rapeescape.com) I had immediate flashbacks to my childhood. The ultimate insults to boy and girl alike: You run like a girl. You throw like a girl. You hit like a girl. You fight like a girl. To which was always the immediate and vehement response – “No I don’t!”. Those taunting words insinuated you were insufficient, inadequate, ineffective.

Weak.

Thankfully, I had been recommended to the self-defense website by someone familiar with it, and based on what she said, continued investigating beyond the title - to finally understand the play on words. Fight like a girl. Intrigued with what I was reading: that this method of self-defense is for all women no matter age, physical ability, conditioning, or training; that it addresses the scenario that all that you’ve done in preparation has gone wrong and you are in the worst position imaginable; that you learn to effectively escape from those positions, I signed up for the instructor’s training class. I went from interested but a little leery and disbelieving to stunned and impressed over the course of 2 days. I learned that fighting like a girl was a compliment, not a criticism. An honor, not an insult. That as a woman I was strong, not weak. I am no longer defensive when someone says “You fight like a girl”, I am proud of it. I even wear the t-shirt.