Abduction reports cause concern in the county

Reports of one — if not several — child abduction attempts started spreading in the county Saturday, but the Wells County Sheriff's Department activity log, which parents have reportedly cited when spreading the news, does not mention any abduction attempts.

Instead, the reports seemingly stem from an incident that occurred Saturday. To learn more about the incident and the subsequent rumors, see the Wednesday, April 11, News-Banner.

However, The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children does offer the following tips to better ensure that there won't be any actual cases of abduction.

SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS:

• Be sure to go over the rules with your children about whose homes they can visit when you’re not there and discuss the boundaries of where they can and can’t go in the neighborhood.
• Always listen to your children and keep the lines of communication open. Teach your children to get out of dangerous or uncomfortable situations right away, and practice role-playing and basic safety skills with them.
• Teach your children in whose car they may ride. Children should be cautioned never to approach any vehicle, occupied or not, unless accompanied by a parent or trusted adult.
• Make sure children know their names, address, telephone numbers and how to use the telephone.
• Choose babysitters with care. Obtain references from family, friends and neighbors.

SAFETY TIPS FOR CHILDREN:

• Always check first with your parents or the person in charge before you go anywhere or do anything.
• Always take a friend when you play or go somewhere.
• Don’t be tricked by adults who offer you special treats or gifts or ask you for help.
• Don’t be afraid to say no and get away from any situation that makes you feel uncomfortable or confused. Trust your feelings.
• Don’t get into a car or go near a car with someone in it unless you are with your parents or a trusted adult.
• Never take a ride from someone without checking first with your parents.
• Never go into a public restroom by yourself.
• Never go alone to the mall, movies, video arcades or parks.
• Stay safe when you’re home alone by keeping the door locked. Do not open the door for or talk to anyone who stops by unless the person is a trusted family friend or relative.

The organization also offers the following tips:

• Parental abductions and runaway cases make up the majority of missing children in the United States. In 2002 there were about 797,500 children reported missing, or nearly 2,185 per day. The vast majority of these cases were recovered quickly; however, the parent or guardian was concerned enough to contact law enforcement and they placed the child into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center – a computerized national database of criminal justice information. It is available to Federal, state and local law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies.
• Each year there are about 3,000 to 5,000 non-family abductions reported to police, most of which are short term sexually-motivated cases. About 200 to 300 of these cases, or 6%, make up the most serious cases where the child was murdered, ransomed or taken with the intent to keep.
• The NCMEC analyzed more than 4200 attempted abductions from February 2005 to March 2010 and found that 38% of attempted abductions occur while a child is walking alone to or from school, riding the school bus or riding a bicycle; 37% of attempted abductions occur between the hours of 2:00pm through 7:00pm on a weekday; 43% of attempted abductions involve children between the ages of 10 and 14; 72% of attempted abduction victims are female; 68% of attempted abductions involve the suspect driving a vehicle.
• Research shows that of the 58,000 non-family abductions each year 63% involved a friend, long-term acquaintaince, neighbor, caretaker, baby sitter or person of authority; only 37% involved a stranger.