CAPE POLICE YEAR-ROUND TELL KIDS TO BE WARY OF STRANGERS

On Nov. 18, 9-year-old Angie Housman disappeared soon after she got off her school bus after school, about a block from her suburban St. Louis home.

A few days later, Cassidy Senter, 10, disappeared from a suburban street as she was walking to a friend's home to string Christmas lights.

When both girls' lifeless bodies were discovered just days after they were abducted, St. Louisans panicked.

Area police force departments called out major case squads. Officers patrolled school-bus loading zones and followed school buses on their routes. School counselors worked overtime consoling frightened parents and children.

And more than 100 miles south of St. Louis, parents and schools who had heard the news called upon the Cape Girardeau Police Department to ease their anxiety.

During the past week, Officer Kevin Orr has visited local preschools and grade schools, warning children of the dangers of strangers on the street.

"This is something we do all year and the information we're sharing with the children and parents is part of a program we have done for a very long time," explained Orr. "This is not something we've just begun because of any recent event."

Orr goes into classrooms and warns children against going anywhere with people they do not know.

"We go over different scenarios of what an adult might say to a child to induce them to get into a car," said Orr. "We teach the children how to respond when people they do not know approach them and make them feel uncomfortable."

The police program takes the scenarios a step further, by telling children how to notify authorities, and how to remember details about the person and his or her vehicle.

"When I was at Clippard School a couple of days ago, I was introduced by the principal, and then I asked him to go and stand at the back of the room," Orr said. "A few minutes later, I asked the children to describe the principal and what he was wearing, without turning around.

"Some children were very good at it and remembered even the smallest details. But others couldn't remember the color of the shirt he was wearing or how tall he was, or even things like his hair color."

Children are advised to walk to school or to each other's homes in groups, and to avoid wooded or overgrown areas if possible.

Orr also stresses the importance of reporting incidents of strangers hanging around a home or trying to induce a child to leave with him or her.

Children are also told not to stray too far away from parents or guardians at crowded malls or department stores.

"Fortunately, stranger abductions have not been a problem in this area and hopefully never will be," said Sgt. Carl Kinnison.

Orr added: "There is a lot of concern in the community right now about this kind of thing. We have done programs in the past and will continue to do programs in the schools and for private groups upon request, to educate our children."

Parents seeking information to share with their children may stop by the Cape Girardeau Police Department at 40 S. Sprigg any time. The station commander has a stack of pamphlets with the kind of information parents need to share with their children, Orr said.