Tips on Child Safety...

Teach your child that a stranger is anyone you don't know.

Teach your child never to go anywhere with a stranger under any circumstances. Teach your child that if someone grabs them to not scream but yell, "This is not my mom/dad!".

Teach your child that if confronted by a stranger to run to a crowded area. Do not run and hide.

Teach your child to walk to school with friends, never alone.

Familiarize yourself with your child's routes to and from school and to their friend's houses.

Teach your child their complete name and home address including city, state and ZIP code. They should also be taught their telephone number including area code.

Never leave your child alone in a car. Prepare a plan to be followed if you or your child become separated in crowded areas.

Do not put your child's name on his clothing, lunch box, etc. A stranger may try to use this to trick your child into believing he is a friend

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What Happens After You Make a Report?

Officer Response
When you report drug activity, you may not see any police response. The area or individuals you are reporting on may already be the subject of an on-going undercover investigation. Also, since drug transactions seldom involve danger to participants or bystanders, crimes that endanger someone must have first priority for available officers.

Not Sufficient for an Arrest
Citizen reports are not usually the primary cause for a drug arrest. Unless the citizen has special training or experience with drugs or drug users, the courts will probably hold that an arrest based only on his or her testimony isn't justified. Since few citizens can meet these strict legal standards, officers who do have the training and experience must make their own observations and collect evidence that the courts will accept.

A significant number of citizen complaints are found to be invalid when they are investigated. This can happen when neighbors misinterpret what they see. Sometimes it happens because the drug complaint is revenge for other neighborhood problems. Both your rights and those of other people have to be protected in the process of stopping drug trafficking.

Provides Cause for an Investigation
Your reports are very important. They let the police know there's a problem, and they provide a reason for police to undertake an investigation of a person or location or provides vital information for an on-going investigation. Under the laws of our land, police can't stop or investigate people without a good reason to believe they may be involved in illegal activity. Your information may be vital to meeting this demand of the law.

Search Warrants
If sufficient cause can be confirmed, a request is made to a magistrate for a search warrant for the house or building. Residents who possess drugs will be arrested. The court may release them on bail, however, and they may return to their neighborhood while they await trial; but most dealers move elsewhere or stop dealing after they have been arrested. Under the law, certain property may be confiscated by the government, and the proceeds of their sale given to law enforcement agencies to be used for drug enforcement activities.

What the Police Would Like to Know