Archive for June, 2010

What Can You Do If Your Child Goes Missing?

Police in Portland, Ore. have been investigating the disappearance of Kyron Horman, who on June 4, 2010 was reported missing by his parents. The last reported sighting for the boy was that morning, in the halls of his elementary school. With few clues to help lead investigators to the boy’s whereabouts, this scenario is a worst nightmare terrifying parents everywhere.

While there remain many unanswered questions in young Kyron’s case, parents should take some time to think about what they might do if they found themselves in a similar situation and their child has gone missing. Our kids are our most precious resource, and in any missing child case, know that you are not completely helpless. Being prepared for the worst and never needing to use your knowledge is a much preferable situation to be in than finding yourself in an emergency with no clue what to do.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has prepared a quick-reference guide for you and your family to help you be better equipped to act quickly and decisively in the event of an emergency.

If your child has gone missing or has been abducted, contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.
Provide law enforcement with times, dates, and locations for where your child was last seen, and with whom they might have been seen. Gather descriptive information about your kid, including recent photographs, videos, descriptions of clothing, identifiers such as eye and hair color, glasses, scars or braces, and be prepared to offer this information to investigators
Ask the officer if an AMBER Alert is appropriate for this situation.
Secure your child’s room and belongings until law enforcement can do a search. Identify computers, cellphones, or other online devices your child uses that could provide clues to law enforcement for any revealing communications your child had engaged in before disappearing.
Provide law enforcement with information about any suspicious or unusual behavior your kids may have been exhibiting, or unusual attention paid them before their disappearance.

Additionally, beyond working with law enforcement:

Prepare posters of your child with recent images and post them within your community.
Make noise! Get the word out about your case and work toward getting local and national media attention–i.e., television, radio, newspapers and the Web outlets. If video of your child is available, provide that to the media. You can also upload it here to the NCMEC online video channel.
If you have DNA samples, provide them to authorities investigating the case. If not, you can collect samples from your missing child’s possessions, your child’s hairbrush, or maybe a saved baby tooth.

No one wants to imagine the horror of their child gone missing. But by being prepared to act quickly in such an emergency you can take some proactive steps toward ending the nightmare. We’ve got some more information right here at the AMW Safety Center to help you and your family prepare. Talk to your kids today about what threats exist out there, both on the streets and online. Make sure your kids are equipped with the street smarts to help them understand how to recognize a dangerous situation and how to get out quickly. Prevention is your best weapon.

June 16, 2010

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Keep Safety In Mind During Your Summer Fun

For many of us, summer means outdoor fun. As the weather warms up and schools start to let out, chances are good your kids are going to be spending a lot more time participating in outside activities.

Whether going to the pool, skateboarding, bicycling, or even just more time on the playground blacktop, there are a lot of safety considerations to keep in mind when you plan your fun in the sun.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a great checklist of tips to help your kids reduce their chances of injury. Here are a few just to get you started:

Protect yourself against direct sunlight. Avoid burns and heat related injuries by staying in the shade whenever possible. Wear sunscreen of 15 SPF or greater, and limit direct sun exposure during peak hours (10 a.m. and 4 p.m.)
Before prolonged physical activity, make sure your kids are well-hydrated. Frequent water breaks should be instituded during intense activities lasting 15 minutes or more.
Never leave children unsupervised near a pool.
Beware of insect bites and stings. Avoid scented soaps, perfumes or hairsprays.
Check playground equipment for hazards, such as open hooks or protruding bolt ends. Make sure metal slides are cool to prevent arms and legs from getting burned.
When skating, skateboarding or bicycling, wear appropriate protective equipment such as helmets and padding.

Check out the AAP’s site or right here at the AMW Safety Center for more information to help keep you and your kids on the right side of safe this summer.

June 10, 2010

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Test Your Web Smarts During National Internet Safety Month

Internet safety should be on our minds at all times. But with so many aspects of our lives largely played out online these days, it’s very easy to take many of our actions for granted. This is particularly true if you’ve been one of the lucky few who hasn’t had any issues with compromised passwords or identity theft.

But it’s important that internet safety stay at the forefront of your mind. This is especially true for parents, and we need to be sure our kids are thinking about these issues too. Whether you are banking, booking travel, shopping, downloading music or playing online games, you could potentially be leaving yourself vulnerable to unseen dangers.

The U.S. Senate designated June to be National Internet Safety Month, to serve as a reminder to us all of the importance of smart internet usage. Take some time to think about your day to day internet habits. Are you taking the proper precautions to stay on guard against identity theft? Are your passwords strong? Do you know what sites your kids are visiting regularly, or even how much time they are spending online?

The AMW Safety Center has plenty of tips for you to go over with the internet users in your family to be sure you are doing what you can to ensure your time on the web isn’t leaving you at risk and unprepared for what dangers lie in wait online.

The FTC has outlined seven basic practices to keep in mind as you surf the web that can help you be safer and more secure online. Raising your awareness can go a long way in minimizing your chances of being a target. Here are a few key points to help you be sure you are on the right track.

Protect your personal information. Whenever you enter details such as address, account numbers, Social Security number, etc., find out how they are being used. Check to see if the page is transmitting your info via a secure connection.
Know who you are dealing with. “Phishers” send spam and pop up messages making certain claims, and requests for your personal information. But don’t fall for it. Your bank will never ask for your account information by email.
Beware of file-sharing and peer-to-peer (P2P) applications. These applications can be a great resource, allowing you to share games and music with potentially millions of users online. But these file-sharing programs may also make your computer and possibly your personal documents available to fellow users. Make sure you understand the side effects of these free downloads to ensure you aren’t unwittingly downloading pornography or viruses labeled as something else, or that you aren’t violating copyright laws by downloading protected material.

The internet is a wonderful and powerful tool for people of all ages, but by using the internet you also assume great responsibility. Check out the FTC’s OnGuard Online safety resource for more tips on how you can better safeguard you and your family when going online.

June 3, 2010

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