According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, strangers kidnap about 300 children every year. News like that, and news of the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping in Utah, has the power to terrify parents and children.

"It's kinda scary to think about someone going into your house and telling you to get up with a gun pointed at you," 13-year-old Leslie says.

The odds are against a child in your family ever being abducted, but it makes sense to be careful.

"And yet I don't want the children to be afraid to go outside. I don't want to raise them feeling like there's so much evil in the world it's not worth stepping outside the front door," says Jill Berling, Leslie and Brenna's mother.

It's a difficult balance. The Berlings say cell phones help make them all feel safe without forcing the children to give up their independence. But if an abduction does occur, cell phones probably won't help in the search. In that case, the most valuable tool is a simple still photograph.

"If you have a picture that is just straight on, the kid is just looking at the camera, that's the best thing that you could possibly have," says David Thelen, CEO of the Committee for Missing Children.

Thelen says parents should have close-up photographs taken of their children, and because kids change so fast, the photos should be recent. Also, parents should remember that in a kidnapping, time is everything.

"They should immediately call the police. Don't go looking around the neighborhood first, trying to find them. Don't waste that precious first hour or two," Thelen says.

And for extra-cautious parents, new technology exists to make you feel extra safe - wristwatches connected to Global Positioning Satellites, DNA storage kits and fingerprints on a card.

Each can help, but none is a substitute for a parent-child discussion about safety and strangers.

By Kim Ogletree
CWK Network, Inc.

The nationally reported abduction of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart from her Utah home is only the latest example of such events contributing to the high incidence of missing children. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 114,600 non-family abductions are attempted each year, with approximately 3,200 to 4,600 being successful. Consider these additional statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Crime Information Center (NCIC):

• In 2001, 840,279 persons (adults and juveniles) were reported missing to the police. The FBI estimates that 85-90% of missing persons are juveniles. Thus, in approximately 725,000 cases (or 2,000 per day), the disappearance of a child was serious enough that a parent called the police, the police took a report and entered it into NCIC.
• For just the fourth time in the 20 years since the passage of the Missing Children's Act in 1982, the number of missing persons reported to the police declined from the previous year. The 2001 reports were down 4.1% from 2000. The total increase since 1982 is 444%.
• In 2000, 119,237 cases of missing adults and juveniles were categorized as "endangered," defined as "missing and in the company of another person under circumstances indicating that his or her physical safety is in danger."
• In 2000, 28,765 cases of missing adults and juveniles were categorized as "involuntary," defined as "missing under circumstances indicating that the disappearance was not voluntary (abduction or kidnapping)."
  

A recent survey released by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) found that parents often lack information critical to finding their children after an abduction:

• Of those parents surveyed, 22% did not know their child's height, weight and eye color; in households with two or more children, the percentage rose to 29%.
• Parents of children younger than 6 were less likely than parents of teens to be able to give an accurate physical description of their children.

The first few hours are the most critical in missing-child cases. If your child is missing, the OJJDP suggests using the following checklist during those first hours to help you do everything you can to increase the chances of recovering your child:

• Immediately report your child as missing to your local law enforcement agency. Ask investigators to enter your child into the NCIC Missing Persons File.
• Request that law enforcement put out a Be On the Look Out (BOLO) bulletin. Ask them about involving the FBI in the search for your child.
• Limit access to your home until law enforcement arrives and has collected possible evidence. Do not touch or remove anything from your child's room or from your home. Remember that clothing, sheets, personal items, computers and even trash may hold clues to the whereabouts of your child.
• Ask for the name and telephone number of the law enforcement investigator assigned to your case, and keep this information in a safe and convenient place.
• Give law enforcement investigators all of the facts and circumstances related to the disappearance of your child, including what efforts have already been made to search for your child.
• Write a detailed description of the clothing worn by your child and the personal items he or she had at the time of the disappearance. Include in your description any personal identification marks, such as birthmarks, scars, tattoos or mannerisms, that may help in finding your child. If possible, find a picture of your child that shows these identification marks and give it to law enforcement.
• Make a list of friends, acquaintances and anyone else who might have information or clues about your child's whereabouts. Include telephone numbers and addresses, if possible. Tell your law enforcement investigator about anyone who moved in or out of the neighborhood within the past year, anyone whose interest in or involvement with the family changed in recent months and anyone who appeared to be overly interested in your child.
• Find recent photographs of your child in both black and white and color. Make copies of these pictures for your law enforcement agency, the media, your state missing children's clearinghouse, the NCMEC and other nonprofit organizations.
• Ask your law enforcement agency to organize a search for your child. Ask them about using tracking or trailing dogs (preferably bloodhounds) in the search effort.
• Ask your law enforcement agency for help in contacting the media.
• Designate one person to answer your telephone. Keep a notebook or pad of paper by the telephone so this person can jot down names, telephone numbers, dates and times of calls and other information relating to each call.
• Take good care of yourself and your family, because your child needs you to be strong. As hard as it may be, force yourself to get rest, eat nourishing food and talk to someone about your tumultuous feelings.

While child abduction cannot be prevented completely, you can take several steps to protect your child and minimize his or her chances of becoming a victim. The National Crime Prevention Council offers the following tips to keep your child safe:

The Basics:

• Make sure your child knows his or her full name, address (city and state) and phone number with area code.
• Be sure your child knows to call 9-1-1 or "0" in emergencies and how to use a public phone. Practice making emergency calls with a make-believe phone.
• Tell your child never to accept rides or gifts from someone he or she and you don't know well.
• Teach your child to go to a store clerk, security guard or police officer for help if lost in a mall or store or on the street.
• Set a good example with your own actions - lock doors and windows and see who's there before opening the door.
• Take time to listen carefully to your child's fears and feelings about people or places that scare or make him or her feel uneasy. Tell your child to trust his or her instincts.
  

At School and Play:

• Encourage your child to walk and play with friends, not alone. Tell him or her to avoid places that could be dangerous - vacant buildings, alleys, playgrounds or parks with broken equipment and litter.
• Teach your child to settle arguments with words, not fists, and to walk away when others are arguing. Remind him or her that taunting and teasing can hurt friends and make enemies.
• Make sure your child is taking the safest routes to and from school, stores and friends' houses. Walk the routes together and point out places he or she could go for help.
• Encourage your child to be alert in the neighborhood, and tell an adult - you, a teacher, a neighbor or a police officer - about anything he or she sees that doesn't seem quite right.
• Check out the school's policies on absent children - are parents called when a child is absent?
• Check out daycare and after-school programs - look at certifications, staff qualifications, rules on parent permission for field trips, reputation in the community, parent participation and policies on parent visits.
  

At Home Alone:

• Leave a phone number where you can be reached. Post it by the phone, along with numbers for a neighbor and emergencies - police and fire departments, paramedics and the poison control center.
  
• Have your child check in with you or a neighbor when he or she gets home. Agree on rules for having friends over and going to a friends' house when no adult is home.
  
• Make sure your child knows how to use the window and door locks.
  
• Tell your child not to let anyone into the home without your permission, and never to let a caller at the door or on the phone know that no adult is at home.
  
• Work out an escape plan in case of fire or other emergencies. Rehearse it with your child.

Consider these additional safety tips from the Nemours Foundation:

• Have ID-like photos taken of your child every 6 months, and have your child fingerprinted. Many local police departments sponsor fingerprinting programs - check if they're available in your town.
• Keep your child's medical and dental records up to date.
• Make online safety a priority. The Internet is a great tool, but it's also a perfect place for predators to stalk children. According to Highlights of the Youth Internet Safety Survey, conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, "one in five children (10 to 17 years old) receive unwanted sexual solicitations online." Be aware of your child's Internet activities and chat room "friends," and remind him or her never to give out personal information. Avoid posting identifying information or photos of your child online.
• Never leave your child alone in a car or stroller, even for a minute.
• Choose caregivers - babysitters, daycare providers and nannies - carefully and check their references.
  
• Avoid dressing your child in clothing with his or her name on it - children tend to trust adults who know their name.

Parents can even keep on file DNA information for their children. Several companies manufacture DNA kits used to collect and store biological samples. The kits contain a cotton swab for taking a skin cell sample and a specially treated slide or vial for preserving it. Parents keep the sample in the case that they need to trace their missing children.

Committee for Missing Children, Inc.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
National Crime Information Center
National Crime Prevention Council
Nation's Missing Children Organization, Inc.
Nemours Foundation
U.S. Department of Justice