Officer Jimmy Fulcher talks to kids at the Winterville Library's Stranger Danger presentation. Photograph by David Manning.
By Jennifer L. Johnson - jennifer.johnson@onlineathens.com
Published Thursday, September 23, 2010
WINTERVILLE - Nine-year-old Beatrice Carrillos and her sisters didn't come to the local library to talk to a police officer.
But when they arrived at the Winterville Library after school Tuesday, they ran into Officer Jimmy Fulcher, there to teach children age-old lessons about avoiding strangers and finding a police officer for help.
"I thought police officers were only there to arrest bad guys," said Beatrice, who came with sisters Elena, 10, and Rosie, 6, to use the computers at the library. "I didn't know that the police can help you with people you don't want to talk to."
Invited to talk by library branch manager Julie Carnes, Fulcher, a 31-year veteran officer, delivered the half-hour "Stranger Danger" presentation to a dozen preschoolers last week and to Winterville's older kids this week.
"Learning about strangers was one of my mom's biggest things," said Carnes, who organized the presentation with the Winterville Police Department a few weeks ago. "Kids should have this information and know what to do, from toddlers right on up to more mature kids."
Fulcher answered questions about his uniform and let some kids touch his badge, just so they'd know what a real one looks like.
Librarian Julie Carnes reads a book to kids about police officers before introducing Officer Fulcher at the Winterville Library. Photo by David Manning.
All the kids knew that they aren't supposed to speak to strangers, but most couldn't define one.
"If you've never seen anybody before, they're a stranger," Fulcher said. "Even your librarian was a stranger to you at one time. Yes, you know her now and know that she's here to help you, but when you first met her, she was a stranger."
Eight-year-old Hope Painter has a clever answer if a stranger asks where she lives, she said.
"I wouldn't tell him (the truth). I'd say 'Michigan,' " she said.
"Well, now, there's an idea," Fulcher said. "It would take them a really long time to get to Michigan, wouldn't it? But you don't want to tell them anything. Remember, we don't talk to strangers."
It's a lesson that Hope's mother, Deborah Painter, has taught her two daughters since they were old enough to talk. Painter brought Hope and Emma, 11, back to Winterville after seeing a flyer for the "Stranger Danger" talk at the library the day before.
"I wanted the girls to hear the presentation, just in case there's anything I missed or didn't think about before," Painter said.
Emma and Hope stay close to their mom in public, but also aren't allowed to answer the front door at home.
That's a good practice, according to Fulcher. He recommends kids tell their parent or guardian whenever someone knocks on the door, even if they know who it is.
"If they're not supposed to be there, don't open the door," Fulcher said. "If you're home alone and you get scared, call the police. We never have a problem coming to help scared boys and girls."
When police officers respond to 911 calls, they always arrive in patrol cars and wear badges, Fulcher said. It's OK to ask to see the badge before opening the door, he added.
Like adults who contemplate how they would respond in a perilous situation - like a mugging - Fulcher had the children run through their own danger scenario: A stranger tempting them with the trinket all kids want these days.
"You've got your own Silly Bandz at home and you should tell strangers that," Fulcher said. "That way you can be safe and get more Silly Bandz from your parents."
The library hasn't yet scheduled another "Stranger Danger" talk, but will if program planners find interest.
For more information about free programs at your local library, visit the website www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us.
Photo by David Manning.
Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Thursday, September 23, 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment