The following information is based upon U.S. Dept of Justice statistics from 1988-. Perhaps this will give you a better understanding of the seriousness this problem has become on a national level. These statistics were released in May 1990 by the U.S. Department of Justice for the year 1988: - 114,600 attempted abductions of children by *non-family* members. - 4,600 abductions by *non-family* members reported to the police. - 300 abductions by *non-family* members where the children were gone for long periods of time or were murdered. ... 354,000 children abducted by family members ... 450,700 children who ran away. ... 127,100 children who were thrown away. ... 438,200 children who were lost, injured, or otherwise missing. To: All From: Marv Cotton Subject: Tips for Abduction Prevention The following information is provided by the HEIDI SEARCH CENTER 2402 Pat Booker Rd, Universal City, Tx. 78148 Phone: (210) 659-0338 or 659-0339 Tips for Abduction Prevention and Awareness ------------------------------------------- The following are ideas and tips which will help your family to be more safety conscious. We ask that you use this information in your discussion with your child or children. Step 1: Prevention: - Parents MUST get to know the families of their children's friends. - Use a buddy system - NEVER walk or ride bikes alone, day or night. - NEVER HITCHHIKE or take rides from friends unless parents have given permission. - Always tell aa family member or other adult in charge where you will be at all times and when you will be home. - Have a SECRET WORD known ONLY to family members in the event of an emergency. - Do NOT use birth dates, nicknames, Super Heroes, etc. - If someone tries to pick you up they MUST know the secret word. - If a strange vehicle or person tries to approach, DO NOT GO NEAR THE VEHICLE!! Keep walking or run if necessary! Step 2: How to Identify a Strange Vehicle or Person: - Vehicles (which may be driving back and forth or are unfamiliar to the neighborhood). Remember the following (write it down if possible): - Color or colors of vehicle - Type of vehicle - License plate numbers - Window tint, dents, other distinguishing marks - Driver - Race/Nationality (White, Black, Hispanic, Oriental, etc.) - Sex (Male/Female) - Hair (Color & length), mustache, beard, scars, etc. - Clothes (color of shirt, jacket/coat, hat, etc.) - Other passengers Step 3: What to do in case of an Attempted Abduction: If you organize friends and neighbors to help you search, remember: - Remember the word S.K.Y. which stands for Scream, Kick & Yell. These three things will draw attention to you and COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE! - Look for a person you know or a "Safe Place", run to it and ask for help. - STAY NEAR PEOPLE if at all possible. Do NOT run into an open field or wooded area. I hope SysOps will make this information available to their users in a file. These tips may save the life of your child. If you want more information or would like some educational packets feel free to write to the Heidi Search Center. Marv Cotton, President, Heidi Search Center What Can I Do To Help Locate Missing Children ---------------------------------------------- Part One After receiving a number of requests for ideas and hints on how folks can do more to help locate Missing Children, I have began putting together a file of ideas that I have used or hope to use myself, that may be helpful to others.Here are just a few. Hope you may find them helpful... 1) Working as an Individual- Obtaining Missing Child .GIFs from HEIDI SEARCH CENTER to make available for local users is a great start. Folks at HEIDI are deeply dedicated to helping locate Missing Children and to provide prevention information for parent. HEIDI has a number of information packets parents can send for containing some really great info. You may want to obtain a number of these packets and make them available in your area to parents... HEIDI can also provide information on setting-up a Search Operation for Missing Children in your area. HEIDI SEARCH CENTER 2402 Pat Booker Rd, Universal City,Tx 78148 Phone: (210) 659-0338 or (512) 659-0339 2) Working with Local Business- Contact area businesses and shelters to post flyers of Missing Children. Many businesses welcome such activities as a public service project. Keeping these flyers and posters up-to-date is a must and can be very time consuming, but well worth the efforts... With time being a problem for most Sysops, this project may sound difficult to do. Get help from friends, Church groups and fellow computer users to help out. The more folks helping out, greater time you will have for your other work... 3) Working with people Physically or otherwise Challenged- There are a number of great benefits working with folks who are challenged. Perhaps the best one, is that you are providing a way these folks can contribute something to society by using any number of their other faculties to help locate Missing Children. Even the simplest task will help, by freeing you up to do other things... 4) Newsletters- There are a number of good little programs available that make a simple but nice little newsletters. "NewsRoom" is one such commerical program that retails for about $15.00. It can't import other forms of graphics unless you use their capture mode, which allows capturing any area of the screen. But your graphic must be less then full scr- een size. There are a number of shareware programs available that allows you to crop .GIFs or .PCX and to convert from one graphic for- mat to another as well as resizing the graphic. This NEWSLETTER can contain information on various Clubs activities in your area, as well as food receipts, hints to mothers and just about any other type of info you would like to incorporate. Don't forget to list information on Missing Children... At the present time we have many .GIFs on Missing Children (with some background on the circumstances surrounding their disappearance which are Public Domain. Thus, you wouldn't need premission to use them in your NEWSLETTER). Folks at HEIDI may also have a number of Public Domain graphics.But generally speaking, you will probably have to get written permission from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to use some of their.GIFs that Heidi sends out. Check with Marv Cotton at HEIDI SEARCH CENTER, he should be able to tell which graphics need permission. With a copy of "NewsRoom", each person can make up their own little newsletter and send it to other folks who also own a copy. Last I heard, "NewsRoom" even had it's own little telecommunications program to use with a modem to send "NewsRoom" files. "NewsRoom" is easy to operate (mostly menu-driven) and has a lot of different graphics to use with it.You can also locate a number of shareware programs that allows you to convert these graphics to other graphic formats. You can even provide a separate file area that's dedicated to other folks individual "NewsRoom" NEWSLETTERs... "NewsRoom" would be a great project for some one who is unable to leave the house due to illness or is physically challenged. This would also be a great project for young people as a Scout project or a school project to help kids learn computers. "Printshop" projects would also be a good way to get kids (as well as adults) involved in spreading information about Missing Children. Make flyers, posters and even greeting cards with Printshop featuring a graphic of a Missing Child... Make the poster/greeting card first, then printout a Missing Child graphic, cut and paste it onto the poster /greeting card. Otherwise import it if you have that capability. If you need the proper size Missing Child graphic to include in "Printshop" projects, let me know. I have a copy of the NEW "Printshop" program and could resize these .GIFs to fit. What Can I Do As SysOp To Help Locate Missing Children -------------------------------------------------------- Part Two Due to the number of requests for copies of the information herein, I thought it would be less expensive for everyone if it was distributed in parts. There are a number of things Sysops with a BBS can do to help locate Missing Children. Carrying the HEIDI SEARCH CENTER Missing Children .GIF collection is a GREAT start. Folks at HEIDI are truly DEDICATED folks, easy to work with and are willing to assist anyone... The limit as to what one can do, is really limited only by your imagination, circumstances and resources. 1) Run a check-list of your own resources- - What type of equipment you have on hand. (Computers,printer, hand- scanners,etc) - Do I the time to dedicate to this project and what help from friends and aquaintances that may be available. 2) Check Community Resources- - Are there nearby agencies or groups that work in the area of locating Missing Children. See what their needs may be. - Are there clubs/organizations that are willing to help display posters in your community? - Perhaps local Scouting organizations would be willing to help out, as this would be a great project for them. - Computer Clubs may be interested in helping out. They often have greater resources available to help or may be willing to undertake project as a regular community service. - Church Groups often have volunteers willing to participate or to organize a worthy community project such as this. - Other Organizations shouln't be overlooked such as Retired Senior Citizens Groups or Women Clubs...Even TV/Radio Stations in your area. - Contact other Missing Children organizations throughout the country and offer to post their flyers in your area also. Offer to make these flyers available to area SysOps in computer graphic format, if you have scanning capabilities. - Make posters for parents of Missing Children in your area. You can make a simple one (without graphics) where parents can paste their own photo of their child or take it to a local printer... 3) Area BBS' - Encourage other area BBS' to carry HEIDI's Missing Child Echo and .GIFs. Supply them with HEIDI's Request Form to register with the HEIDI SEARCH CENTER. Offer to send the request for them, and stay on top of msgs being posted on the Missing Child Echo for confirm- ation that the Request Form has been received, then share any Miss- ing Children .GIFs you have. To save long distance phone calls ,send .GIFs on disk (Make sure first, that folks at HEIDI have received the Request Form). - Set up a Local Echo- Request a separate Echo to be setup by local Hub for the purpose of local BBS' to send/receive information on Missing Children back and forth. A seperate echo should create a lot of interest among local SysOps who are interested in locating Missing Children. It also makes it easy to keep local users updated on Missing Children, particu- larily in their area. - BBS' who are not members of any NETS- In our area, we have a number of BBS' that aren't a member of any Network, but have been around for a long time. They may be very well interested in carrying Missing Child information. You can contact them and ask that they fill out HEIDI's Request Form to carry .GIFs and send it in for them. Make sure you add information to the request form indicating that they aren't a member of Fideonet or one of the other nets that carries the Miss- ing Child Echo and that you are willing to keep this BBS up-to-date on any cancellations as well as supplying them with Missing Children .GIFsgifs. You would have to contact Marv Cotton with HEIDI SEARCH CENTER to get permission to do this before you begin. Be prepared to carry thruough with this service, as this project takes a lot of work, good organization and a lot of time... Don't try it, if you don't have the time! At the present time, I coordinate information between 5 area BBS', as well as regularly posting on a number of others. We have a total of 8 or more different BBS' now involved in locating Missing Children with many carrying the Missing Child Echo, and trying to get more BBS' involved can be very confusing and time comsuming !!! HEIDI also supplies Educational Packets that you can order that contains great information on preventing child abductions. You may want to obtain a supply and pass them out... You may want to signup with Genie and work with their ALERT TEAM (Law Enforcement). They have a software library that contains a number of Missing People (both Adult & Children). But Genie does charge to download them as well as a monthly membership fee. Other Resources: NATIONAL 1-800-HOTLINES -------------------------- These are only a few National Hotlines available from the Public Citizen Hotlines listed below. For additional information enclose $2.00 with your request to: Public Citizen Hotlines P.O. Box 19404 Washington, D.C. 20036 ______________ - AIDS HOTLINE 1-800-342-AIDS Recorded message explains symptoms, means of transmission and high risk categories; gives address for brochure, "Facts About AIDS," and other publications. - CHILD FIND 1-800-431-5005 Accepts calls from child victims of abduction by a parent or stranger; receives reports regarding citing and location of missing children; helps find children for a fee. - CHILDRENS DEFENSE FUND 1-800-424-9602 Information, statistics and resources on child abuse, health and welfare, foster care, adolescent pregnancy, education, etc. - HEIDI SEARCH CENTER ........................... .1-800-880-3463 a. Address:2402 Pat Booker Rd,Universal City,Tx 78148 Phone: (210) 659-0338 or 659-0339 b. HEIDI Board (BBS)...Computers only.............(512)659-2305 c. Dedicated to locating Missing-Abducted-Runaway Children. d Also Informs & Educates the general public on ways of pre- venting child abductions. e. Provides Posters of Missing Children from Pictures. f. Also will convert posters to computerized "pictures" (GIFS) and provide them to other Electronic Bulletin Boards (BBS') located throughout the country. g. Also provides telecommunications link-up with number of Computer Operaters for spreading information about these Missing Children, through their "Missing Child Echo" avail- to many various Computer Networks. h. These electronic pictures can also be viewed or printed on most computers (with proper software programs) for dis- playing in area businesses. i. HEIDI also provides "Instructional Packets" for parents that contains information for preventing children from being abducted: Write to Education Chairman for these packets. j. Note: For those sysops of a BBS who may wish to carry the Missing Children .GIFs fill-in and submit the "HEIDI .GIF Files Request Form". Instructions are included, or call HEIDI's office for details on obtaining these .GIFs. k. Request Form can be also be found in many participating BBS' libraries and can be submitted by "Netmail". ---------------------------------------------------------------- MISSING CHILDREN NETWORK HOTLINE ......................1-800-235-3535 Works with television stations and 20 nonprofit missing children organ- izations to brodcast reports and assist parents in locating a child; 24-hour service sponsored by affiliated television stations. NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN 1-800-843-5678 Clearinghouse for reports of missing children and child exploitation in crime rings, prostitution or poronography. NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE 1-800-422-4453 Child Help USA accepts crisis calls from victims and perpetrators of child abuse; referrals to local reporting agencies and counseling facilities; 24-hour service. NATIONAL COCAINE HOTLINE 1-800-COC-AINE Referrals to hospitals, counseling centers and doctors specializing in cocaine treatment. NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE 1-800-638-2045 Information and techinical assistance to schools, community and parent organizations for developing drug abuse prevention programs; does not accept crisis calls or provide medical information. NATIONAL RUNAWAY HOTLINE Advisory services to runaways and parents on a 24-hour, confidential, free basis; relays messages; helps runaways find shelter (note: line often busy). PARENTS ANONYMOUS 1-800-421-0353 Self-help program for people who feel they may abuse children. During a crisis, hotline connects caller immediately to a professional counselor. Children and others concerned about child abuse can also obtain counsel. PRIDE ACTION 1-800-241-7946 Information on drug abuse and effects of specific drugs; directs callers to private and government sponsored treatment centers; advice on starting a youth or parent group and films on drug abuse available. RUNAWAY HOTLINE 1-800-231-6946 Accepts calls from runaways and forwards messages to parents; offers confidential, 24-hour message relay service; referrals for medical assistance, shelter, aid for those involved with drugs or pregnancy, and other couseling services; explains how runaways can get a free bus ride home. SHRINERS HOSPITAL REFERRAL LINE 1-800-237-5055 Information on free care available in 22 hospitals for children who need orthopedic or burn treatment. -edited by: Timothy O'Brien SysOp: HOBO OUTPOST 'Replace Hope With Reality' BBS: [604-739-7475] Fidonet: (1:153/7097) Vancouver BC Canada