Over the past week, the Village has received two reports of suspicious persons involving children. The first occurred on Sunday, November 9, 2014 at approximately 4:15 pm. A driver of a bright blue vehicle reportedly engaged in conversation with several 11 and 12 year old girls on the S/E corner of Harris Avenue and Ashland Avenue which included expletives.
On Tuesday, November 11, 2014 at about 4:45 PM a teenaged girl noticed a person following her on La Grange Road near Hillgrove Avenue. The girl concluded that the person was an older man who appeared to follow her for several blocks but then disappeared.
While the incidents appear to be unrelated, the Police Department wishes to remind parents to review the following safety tips with their children:
• Don’t talk to strangers.
• Don’t take anything from strangers.
• Don’t go anywhere with someone you don’t know.
• Stay more than an arm’s reach from strangers. If you are approached by a stranger, seek help immediately.
• Trust your instincts, if you feel you are being followed or something is not right, seek help immediately.
• Use the buddy system, avoid walking anywhere alone.
• Review contact telephone numbers and home safety practices – call 9-1-1 when in doubt.
• When seeking help, always go to a trusted adult – teacher, coach, police officer, other parent, or older siblings.
• If a stranger grabs you, do everything you can to stop him or her from pulling you away. Drop to the ground, kick, hit, bite, and scream. Do whatever it takes to attract the attention of others who can help you. If someone is dragging you away, scream, “this is not my dad,” or “this is not my mom.”
• Report any suspicious activity to your local school and police department immediately – do not wait.
For more information or to report a suspicious person, please call 9-1-1 in an emergency or for more routine matters call (708) 579-2333 – press “0” (zero) for dispatch.