Protect Your Child

• Don't let your child wear clothing with his or her name on it. Children are less likely to fear someone who knows their name.
  
  
• Never leave your child alone in a public place, even in a locked car. Accompany a young child to the bathroom in a public place. Instruct them to never play in or around public restrooms. It can only take a moment for an abduction to occur.
  
  
• Accompany your child on door-to-door activities like Halloween and school fundraising campaigns.
  
  
• Keep track of your children's Internet activity. Share email accounts and passwords. Make sure you know what sites they visit and if they meet anyone suspicious while online.
  
  
• Avoid having service people come to the home if your children are there alone.
  
  
• Establish safe houses where your child can go if in trouble. A safe house can be the home of a trusted friend or some other trusted individual in the neighborhood who agrees to let children make emergency calls.
  
  
• Teach them that the police are their friends and that they can rely on them if they are in trouble. Make sure they know to dial 911 or 0 if they need assistance.