Part 1: Back to School Safety Tips for Families

With summer coming to an end, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers the following safety tips for parents to discuss with their youngsters before they head back to school: 

• Travel with a friend, or better yet, a group of friends when riding your bike or walking to or from school or other destinations. 
• If a stranger offers you a ride somewhere, say no, and run away. Adults should define "stranger" and give safety tip examples to help youth, especially young ones, know what you mean. 
• If someone follows you on foot, get away as quickly as you can. Go to someone's house you know, or run to other people, or just run away. 
• If someone is following you in a car, turn around and go in the opposite direction or take a path where a car would not go. 
• Never leave school or any other extracurricular activity or event with someone who makes you feel uncomfortable. Moms or dads should tell their youngster that it is okay in these circumstances to not ride home, but that also means adults should have an established communications method along with these safety tip guidelines so that the kid does not end up stranded or alone. 
• If a stranger tells you that there is an emergency or that a family member is hurt or that a pet has been in an accident, always check with your mom or dad or other trusted adults. This is a common trick used by many molesters or kidnappers. 

For more information about safety tips contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

For more detailed information pertaining to the Cerritos and Artesia area, Cerritos residents should contact the and Artesia residents should contact the Lakewood Sheriff's Station.