>> Safety Tips for Kids (06/2009)

Behind the Badge: A Message From Sheriff Ted Mink 

The following tips are adapted from the For Safety’s Sake program, a child safety curriculum designed to enhance kids’ personal safety and problem-solving skills, encourage responsible telling, and empower them to prevent victimization.  Take some time to talk through these tips with your children... For Safety’s Sake!

1. Check first before you go anywhere with anyone (for any reason at any time)!  Check with the adult who is in charge of you at the time. If you cannot check, then the answer is NO!  (You cannot go!)

2. Adults can get help from other adults. You do not need to help an adult find a lost puppy, unload a truck, etc.  If you want to help, check first!

3. Know your full name, address (including state), and telephone number with the area code. Know your parents’ or guardians’ names, too.

4. If you are separated or lost from your parent or buddy, freeze and yell your parent’s or buddy’s first and last name. You may ask a clerk or a parent with children to go get help for you, but stay where you are.

5. If anyone tries to move or hurt you, make sure you scream, kick, fight, and yell, “You’re not my dad (or mom)!”

6. Use the buddy system; go places in groups of friends.

7. You are in charge of your body. No one has the right to touch you or talk about your body in a way that is wrong or makes you feel uncomfortable. Use the “Power NO,” get away from the situation and tell a trusted adult. (The “Power NO” is a forceful statement that you are encouraged to make when something is happening that you don’t like or that is harmful to your body.)

8. If you find a gun, do not touch it. Get away from it and tell someone. If a friend wants you to touch or hold it, use the Power NO!

9. Use the Power NO (and other refusal skills) for bullies, dares, and drugs, too.

10. When you are home alone, keep the door locked and closed for everyone. Let the phone ring, use caller ID or the answering machine, or work out a system with your parents so that no one realizes you are home alone.

11. On the Internet, keep personal information to yourself! Ask your parents which sites you can visit.

12. Control your anger, don’t be a bully, and use nonviolent actions and words.

13. Tell an adult if you think that something is wrong or someone could get hurt. It is not snitching — it is responsible reporting!

A note to parents and guardians: Child safety teachings have evolved in recent years.  The old “stranger danger” concept is outdated — today, programs acknowledge that strangers aren’t the only people who can harm a child.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has several employees trained and certified in the Safety Kids Inc. child safety curriculum.  One of them, Joyce Nelson, travels to area day care centers, schools and scout groups to deliver a fun and interactive child safety presentation featuring Charlie Check-First.  To schedule a child safety presentation for children from preschool through third grade, please call 303-271-5665.  For more on child-safety and crime-prevention concepts, please visit our Web site: www.jeffcosheriff.com.

Behind the Badge Archive 

Last Modified: Jun 18, 2009 08:42 AM