By Patrick Baron

FAIRBURY – The Fairbury Police Department is reminding parents to sit down and have a discussion with their children about how the kids can stay safe while they’re out for school for the summer.

Speaking with WJEZ’s Todd Wineburner, Fairbury Police Chief Mark Travis said parents should tell kids about “stranger danger” and how they can keep their wits about them if someone they don’t know approaches them.

“Unfortunately we don’t have a picture of an abductor. Strangers don’t always look like evil people. Typically they try to gain the child’s trust, sometimes they’ll ask children for help,” said Travis. “What I tell people is adults do not ask children for help, not to find a puppy, not for anything. If that’s the case, that’s definitely a warning sign.”

Despite being aware of stranger danger, Travis said it’s quite common that an abductor could be someone the child already knows. He explained if kids need to get out of a dangerous situation quickly, they should know how to get home and contact local authorities and their parents.

“Every child should know their home address, where their local police department is, maybe safe zones within the community that they know is a safe place,” Travis said. “It’s important for parents to have these discussions with their children.”

Travis also said kids need to know they should escape a situation if someone they know is doing something that makes them uncomfortable.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].