DRAPER, Utah, Mar. 2, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Strangers approaching children has prompted the Draper Police Department to put the public on alert.
“Draper PD is investigating an incident reported last night in which a Draper Park Middle School student stated she was approached as she was walking home from school by subjects in a vehicle who claimed to have been sent by her mother to pick her up,” the department posted on social media Wednesday afternoon.
“After the student stated she would call her mother to confirm, the vehicle drove off.”
The department is working to gather more detail about the suspects and vehicle that can be shared with the public. “If that can be determined, we will provide an update with those details.”
In the meantime, the department’s press release said, while Wednesday’s was the first to be reported directly to police “there have been other situations recently related to suspicious interactions between strangers and children that have come to the department’s attention due to community discussion on social media.
“We ask everyone with firsthand knowledge of incidents to report directly to the police department, as was done in this case, rather than post suspicions or experiences online.
“These concerns are coming up frequently enough that we feel it important to remind parents to have conversations with youth about being approached by strangers and how to respond.”
Following are tips to help students stay safe:
• Don’t go anywhere with someone you don’t know. Choose a code word between parents and children that is only known to them to verify information.
• Don’t accept anything from strangers.
• Trust your instincts, if you feel you are being followed or something is not right, seek help immediately.
• Use the buddy system, avoid walking anywhere alone.
Any immediately threatening situations should be reported by calling 911, police said. Observations of suspicious activity can be reported to non-emergency dispatch at 801-840-4000.
“Please do not share information from non-law enforcement sources on social media or other online forums, as that can lead to the spread of misinformation, unnecessary fear, or targeting of innocent individuals.”
