Almost Taken

Standing between a rack of neon running skirts and sports bras, sophomore Mazie Brooke impatiently waited for her mom.  Finally, her mom seemed have made up her mind; she had found exactly the type of pepper spray she wanted her daughter to have. While walking to the Dick’s Sporting Good’s checkout, Brooke couldn’t help rolling her eyes thinking, I live in Johnson County- is this really necessary?

What prompted the new security measures was when Brooke’s mom heard about an attempted abduction. According to fox4kc an 18-year-old woman was almost abducted from a driveway in Overland Park  She told the police she was grabbed from behind by a man. As soon as she screamed, the suspect ran.

“After my mom heard about the girl getting taken from the driveway she bought me pepper spray and started talking about signing me up for self-defense classes.” Brooke said.

When incidents like this occur parents are not the only ones who make changes, the school district will often take extra safety precautions as well.

“A lot of times when events like this happen, the district and principles will send information out warning people to be careful and giving kids tips on what to do in stranger danger situations,” SRO officer Eric Mieske said.

Earlier this school year a middle school student was approached by a man in a SUV at 87th St. and Glenwood. SMSD sent parents a report telling what had happened and advising them to be on the lookout.  For the next few days, the Prairie Village Police also sent extra men out on patrol to show the community they were aware of the situation. Schools will give students reminders and tips on what to do if they see a suspicious vehicle or person approaching them.

In the weeks to follow, after hearing about the abduction, parents may stop letting their children run at night. They buy their daughters pepper spray; Kids that normally walk to school are driven.

But after a couple weeks Mieske says the “freak out” time passes and people relax; normal safety routines return.

Brooke admitted even after about a week her mom stopped reminding her to carry pepper spray and the self-defense classes were never brought up again.

However some parents take safety precautions all the time, despite living in a safe neighborhood.

Sophomore Libby LeGard has never been allowed to run at night. She admits it can be frustrating when she wants to exercise, but her parents won’t allow her because of stranger danger.

Sometimes she would argue with her parent that living in Mission Hills was safe and that nothing was going to happen to her. She claimed they were being unreasonable and overprotective. But once she heard about attempted abductions happening near her home, she began to understand her parents’ reasoning.

She now realizes that her parents have her best interest in mind and only want to keep her safe.

“Being abducted is one of the scariest things ever to think about,” LeGard said. “I would obviously prefer to miss a run to keep myself safe. Sometimes it is easy to forget even though we live in a safe neighborhood, crime can still happen.

According to Mieske running alone isn’t completely unsafe but advises to run with a friend if possible. Other alternatives include carrying pepper spray, carrying your cell phone and always letting someone know how long you plan on being gone.

“I think it is wise to always be conscious and aware of your surroundings,” Mieske said. “People probably don’t pay as much attention to [abductions] as they should. There is kinda a false sense of security with all crimes in this area.”