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Providing your kids with the tools to defend themselves
The children are shown how to protect themselves and get away from dangerous situations
  
Posted: 08/22/2005 09:34 pm
Last Updated: 08/23/2005 09:51 am
Story filed by NewsCenter16 Reporter
Judi Lykowski
Michigan - If you're sending your children back to school, you should also be thinking vigilance.
Teachers aren't the only ones who might be waiting to greet your child, predators could be lurking.
There is now a new program that's empowering children and teaching them how to face danger.
The program is called radKIDS. Forty-four states already use it to give kids knowledge, skills, and power to protect themselves from violence and harm. Now Michigan is joining the list.
Teaching safety to kids
Does your child know what 911 is for? On Monday, a child who was abusing the service tied one of the 911 lines up.
Lois Sherman is usually in the dispatch room working while at the Niles Police Multi-plex, but on Monday she's spending time with her step-granddaughter Jacqulyn, making sure she knows how to use 911, among other things.
"She's five, she's starting to spend more time away from the family with school and having more exposure to the possibilities,” said Sherman.
A handful of officers from area police agencies throughout Berrien County have been educated on a program called radKIDS.
"It's for ages five to seven it's an eight hour class and for ages eight to 12 it's a 10 hour class,” explained Trooper Rob Herbstreith, Michigan State Police.
Now Trooper Herbstreith, along with other staff, are ready to educate and empower children to face dangerous situations with confidence.
"RadKIDS is resisting aggression defensively for the children,” said Herbstreith.
It's not a self-defense class, "it's not even fighting. It is escape techniques to get a way from somebody that tries to grab them,” said Herbstreith.
Since the program started, 23 children threatened with abduction used their skills and returned safely to their families.
"It's identifying different dangers that I don't think that they or we deal with at home and they are putting it on in a different fashion than we would as relatives or mothers or fathers,” said Sherman.
"The idea is when they have to actually use it, their subconscious will kick in and everything will take over,” said Herbstreith.
And so does Jacqulyn's grandma. She knows first hand, children can be lured away right here in Michiana.
"We just had an amber alert this weekend for a missing child,” said Sherman.
This week's program is a test-run, with police officials teaching their own children. They hope to hold the first public session in December.
Until then, parents can go to the radKIDS website for free safety tips and activities to teach children.
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