SUSPICIOUS INCIDENT, Adelaide Pl & Hohman (8/28, 6:55AM). A female juvenile reported that while waiting for a bus she was approached by a white van, described as a cargo van with no exterior windows, driven by a white male suspect with gray hair and a gray moustache. The driver reportedly asked the juvenile to come into his van because he had puppies, and the juvenile ran from the area screaming for help. The juvenile further advised that the driver of the van waived to her as she ran away and the vehicle left the area northbound on Hohman Avenue.
Please follow these important safety tips to help protect your children:
Talk with your children regularly about stranger-danger, including scenarios that they may face (offering items or rides, pretending to know their parents, asking for assistance, etc.) and how they should respond to those situations.
Always walk to and from school with young children, and either wait with or watch them until they are picked up at bus stops or stand by when they are being dropped off when possible. If you cannot be there due to work, arrange a system with other trusted parents to help monitor bus stops.
Monitor your children’s internet and gaming activity to make sure that they are not allowing strangers to join their games or chatting with strangers online. Attempt to keep your children away from social media until they are old enough and continue to monitor their activity if you allow them to have profiles.
Talk with teenagers about strangers as well, as the 12-14 age group is the most common age group to be abducted in the United States each year. Encourage all of your kids to play, bike, or walk in groups.