1. Neat idea.

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2. And make sure your daily photo of them includes their shoes. Get a separate close-up of their shoes, even.

   Chatting with a friendly Disney security staffer when we noticed a lot of them in our area, they said they were looking for a lost child (no abduction or anything; the kid wandered off). They shared a recommendation that you take that daily photo, just in case — it makes their job much easier — and very specifically that you get their shoes.

   The reason is, theme parks sell clothing, and people wearing new, branded clothing is so commonplace nobody questions it. If someone were to try an abduction, it’s trivially easy to re-dress a child in park-branded clothing.

   But theme parks don’t usually sell shoes.

   Thus, in the event a child is taken, a kidnapper can change everything else, but will most likely have to walk the child out wearing the same shoes they came in with.

   A good tip, I think. 🙂

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   1. Funny thing about shoes:
      Many a criminal has been busted because they didn’t change their shoes

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      1. LOL! Yep! Same idea, totally different context. 🙂

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3. I had difficulty parsing “take a photo of them using your cell phone.” What for you need a photo of the kid using your phone?
   Oh. “Use your phone to take a photo of the kid” is what’s intended. D’OH!

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   1. “I once confronted a trespasser in my pajamas. Why he was in my pajamas, I’ll never know.”

      Your dad joke for the day. 😀

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4. Recommend “helicopter parents” if you must go. I tried to avoid theme parks with our kid when he was little, but sometimes you gotta go with the flow…,

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5. Man… while the SPD’s tip is a good one, it’s really kinda sad how far we’ve sunk in public trust that *this* is considered a good idea. I get it, an ounce of prevention and all, but… How did we get this far?

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   1. Sgt. Delaney is one of the good ones. He used to appear regularly on the Bax & O’Brien Show on Rock 102. I haven’t listened to their show in years so he may still be on.

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   2. RE: Sunken public trust:

      I blame the media. Just like how everyone unfamiliar with the issue thinks “mass shootings” are a huge problem, when the reality is they’re like 1% of all murders in the U.S.

      Kidnappings are rare to begin with. On top of that, most kidnap victims are abducted by someone they know or are related to: an estranged parent, a family friend, a neighbor, etc. “Stranger” kidnappings are a rarity among rarities.

      But the wall-to-wall national media coverage when one does happen makes the uninformed public believe they’re far more common than they are.

      However, when it comes to the SPD’s tip, in a crowded place it’s shockingly easy to lose a child in the jumble. Especially if the child is prone to wandering. Having the parents’ phone number visible on their hand or arm means anyone who notices an unaccompanied child can contact the parents immediately.

      It’s really for the “lost child” situation, not an abduction; a kidnapper’s certainly not going to call the number!

      Just my $0.065 (adjusted for inflation).

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   3. J, I didn’t read this so much as a reflection of the sinking of trust and civility, but rather as a way to deal with the eternal fact that children like to wander off and get lost.

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6. Better to write it on the inside of their upper arm. It’s not as visible, so less likely to get unwanted notice. Also, no names on the outside of anything of theirs. That is supposed to take a tool away from predators, who can approach the kid, calling them by name, and either get closer to them or get their trust.

   We’ve got a code phrase in our family that means, “shut up and do what I tell you right the F now, questions later”. We review it before we go into a crowd or event. It’s a simple phrase, but not likely to sound out of place, but also something you wouldn’t have reason to say normally. I wrote about the only time we’ve actually had to use it here:

   https://www.ttgnet.com/journal/2017/03/29/the-houston-livestock-show-and-rodeo-or-a-prepper-goes-to-a-large-public-event-guest-post-by-nick/

   If you want to skip to the security incident, scroll down to just past the links for the photos.

   We’ve also got a code word to confirm that my wife or I was the one to send a message. IE if someone else has to pick up the kids, we will give them the word that says it’s ok for the kids to go with them. With my older daughter, I also gave her the OPPOSITE word that says I gave it to them, but NOT to trust the person. I can envision having to act under duress… not that it’s likely.

   And for more than is likely to be interesting to anyone who isn’t a parent with young kids, we also taught them not to believe someone was a cop unless they had a gun, a badge, AND a radio, and could call other uniformed cops.

   Such is life in modern times. Just like old times. Civilization was nice for a while in the middle….

   nick

7. Or…. Leash you pets, people!

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