Law Enforcement Officer Tips: Addressing Personal Security for Students

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Law enforcement officers are often asked to support Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs by helping parents and children address personal security issues such as: stranger danger, bullying, drug dealing, and avoiding crime. Resources and entire programs exist dedicated to these issues, and thus will not be addressed in great detail in this SRTS resource. Rather, the topics will be discussed in a general sense as it relates to parental and student concerns when walking or biking to or from school.

Some parents' concerns about crime will be legitimate, while other fears are not based on reality. Regardless, all fears must be addressed, and not discounted. Law enforcement officers can provide an accurate assessment of the potential risks children face when they walk/bike to school. For this reason it is important to have an officer who is familiar with the local community address these issues.

Tips for addressing parents, educators or students on issues of personal security:

TIP #1: Outline Strategies to Address Personal Security.

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TIP #2: Balance the Risks of Walking and Bicycling with Potential Rewards.

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TIP #3: Separate Fact From Fiction.

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TIP #4: Speak From Your Own Experience.

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TIP #5: Address Problems With Bullying.

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TIP #6: Provide Parents and Educators Strategies for Addressing Personal Security Issues with Children.

This will not only give parents peace of mind on a daily basis, but also quickly communicate to parents that there is a problem if the child hasn't checked-in at the designated time, allowing an earlier response by parents and law enforcement officials.

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