Program offers anti-abduction tips

With National Playground Safety Week on April 24 to 28, child safety advocates are encouraging parents and kids to keep alert about abductions this summer.

Clint Champion of Dignity Memorial funeral homes, which runs an abduction-safety program, offered several tips for parents.

Keep kids in clear view at all times, he said, and parents should encourage children to play close to each other. Also, adults should also accompany children to public restrooms, and parents should never assume that kids are being watched by another adult.

Champion helps run the Escape School, which visits Scout groups, schools and other organizations to teach kids and parents how to elude abductors. The program teaches ways to escape and the different tricks abductors use.

For more information, visit http://www.dignitymemorial.com or call Clint Champion at 327-6666.