DAYTON -- With a man accused of trying to kidnap a teen still on the loose, police want to make sure every parent is telling their kids what to do if they're approached by a potential abductor.
While police say attempted abductions are rare, they add it's still extremely important to make sure your kids have a safety plan in place for any situation, like walking to school, the bus stop, or a friend's house.
Mykendra Howard, 14, knew exactly what to do when a man tried to snatch her off the street Thursday morning while she was walking to school.
âJust make sure youâve got your phone. Be careful. If someone asks to get in their car, just do what I did and run," she said.
Her attempted abduction is the most recent in a string of similar incidents the Miami Valley has seen this year.
In June, police say two kids were nearly kidnapped from a Germantown Park.
A month later on Dayton's East Side, a man almost got away with a seven year old boy, who was caught off guard when the stranger approached. Luckily his momâs friend caught the predator in the act and came to the rescue. Police say those types of near misses can hopefully be prevented by making sure your kids are prepared.
âIf ever approached by someone who is not legitimate, a kid should run to a library, fire station, police station or public place and tell somebody what's going on,â said Dayton Police Lt. Wendy Stiver.
If there isn't some sort of public place around, police say tell your kids to run to a neighbor's house, or just up to another adult. And always scream.
âIf somebody is trying to harm a child, the last thing they want is to have attention brought to them. So if the child is making noise, that will alert other adults that will hopefully call 911 but it will also scare off the attacker,â said Lt. Stiver.
Police say it's also important to make sure your kids know to trust law enforcement officers, and that they aren't afraid of them.
While police say attempted abductions are rare, they add it's still extremely important to make sure your kids have a safety plan in place for any situation, like walking to school, the bus stop, or a friend's house.
Mykendra Howard, 14, knew exactly what to do when a man tried to snatch her off the street Thursday morning while she was walking to school.
âJust make sure youâve got your phone. Be careful. If someone asks to get in their car, just do what I did and run," she said.
Her attempted abduction is the most recent in a string of similar incidents the Miami Valley has seen this year.
In June, police say two kids were nearly kidnapped from a Germantown Park.
A month later on Dayton's East Side, a man almost got away with a seven year old boy, who was caught off guard when the stranger approached. Luckily his momâs friend caught the predator in the act and came to the rescue. Police say those types of near misses can hopefully be prevented by making sure your kids are prepared.
âIf ever approached by someone who is not legitimate, a kid should run to a library, fire station, police station or public place and tell somebody what's going on,â said Dayton Police Lt. Wendy Stiver.
If there isn't some sort of public place around, police say tell your kids to run to a neighbor's house, or just up to another adult. And always scream.
âIf somebody is trying to harm a child, the last thing they want is to have attention brought to them. So if the child is making noise, that will alert other adults that will hopefully call 911 but it will also scare off the attacker,â said Lt. Stiver.
Police say it's also important to make sure your kids know to trust law enforcement officers, and that they aren't afraid of them.
