• Safety Tips:
• Community Safety: Virtual Crimes
• School Safety: National Youth Anti-Drug Campaign
• Statistics: Teens and Tobacco
• One opinion, open for discussion: Interviewing Abused Children

Company News: Fingerprint America Launches It's New Affiliate Program

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Community Safety: Virtual Crimes

Technology has the potential to improve our society in a variety of ways. However, some new technological innovations also create disturbing new ways to target and victimize individuals. "Cyber Stalking" and the use of 
micro-cameras to "spy" on people are new behaviors that many states are 
seeking ways to criminalize. The National Center for Victims of Crimes has 
a Stalking Resource Center and provides a valuable website for civilians and law enforcement personnel seeking to learn more about these disturbing new trends.

At the website you can find additional information about "Cyber Stalking", view a compilation of various states' laws on stalking, and review statistics on how frequently stalking leads to violence against a victim. To learn what you can do to prevent cyber crimes from happening to you, please visit
http://www.ncvc.org/src/help/cyberstalking.html

School Safety: National Youth Anti-Drug Campaign

Middle School Teachers may appreciate the nicely presented, well organized lesson plans available to download on the National Youth Anti-Drug web site. Most students are familiar with the various television public service commercials promoting alternatives to drug use, but the commercials' actual impact with young people is often questioned. In contrast, the teacher's guide at the National Youth Anti-Drug web site is not a "drug education curriculum,". Instead, it's standards-based format makes it possible to easily integrate language and social studies lessons with "real life" lessons related to topics like personal goal setting, and how drug use may interfere with reaching those goals. Take a few moments to review this site: http://www.theantidrug.com/teachersguide/classroomactivities.html

Statistics: Teens and Tobacco

States are required by federal law to prohibit the sale and distribution of tobacco products to persons under 18. By fiscal year 2003, states are not to achieve a sales-to-minors rate greater than 20%.

*For Fiscal Year 2001, the national average retailer violation rate was 
17.4%, down from approximately 40% for FY 1997.

*Nine states reported retailer violation rates of 10% or less.

*Wisconsin reported a 33.7 % retailer violation rate, the highest in the U.S.

To view a chart of each state, and to find materials on how-to reduce 
tobacco sales in your state, visit the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention web site at http://prevention.samhsa.gov/tobacco/

One Opinion, Open to Discussion:

People are often nervous when a child says something that sounds like a 
potential child abuse situation. It is important to listen carefully, and if 
you are a mandated child abuse reporter, you should remember it is not your decision to determine if the abuse occurred. Rather, it is a mandated reporter's responsibility to share the suspicion with the proper authorities. In fact, if you tell your supervisor of suspected abuse and the supervisor does not act, you are still likely to be held accountable by a child abuse investigator.

However, if you hear something alarming from a child, you need to listen carefully and probe without asking "leading questions." In other words, you should ask questions such as "Can you tell me what happened?" or "Where did this happen?" rather than asking "Did your mother hit you?" or "Did your daddy do this to you?" Asking leading questions when interviewing a young child can confuse and even scare them, as they may give you a response that appears to make you happy. They may nod yes out of confusion while appreciating your concern, or they may simply be agreeing to your question. 

It is important to remain calm, matter-of-fact and careful when questioning a child about potential abuse, no matter how emotional you may feel. It also helps to tell the child that you will be doing everything you can to help them, even if it takes some time. Also, if you are mandated to report the situation, be sure never to promise a child that you will keep the information secret. Rather than telling them a false promise, tell them they can trust you to do what is right to help them. Children who speak about things that hurt or scare them are often looking for an adult who will help them, so even if you are not a mandated child abuse reporter, if you suspect abuse, you should respond as if you are.

Correction: Last month we forgot to include the link to the American Library Association - http://www.ala.org

This newsletter created by Laura A. Davis for Fingerprint America. Reprint with credit only.

This newsletter was created for Fingerprint America. All rights reserved. Reprint with permission only.