Schaumburg police received a report Thursday, May 21, 2015 that a boy was walking along Sagamore Drive on his way to Enders-Salk Elementary School when the driver of a black, 4-door vehicle approached him on Thursday morning.
The boy ran away and the driver did not follow the boy. Sagamore Drive is about three blocks south of Enders-Salk Elementary School.
No additional specific information was provided regarding the vehicle or the driver.
The Village of Schaumburg did NOT alert the public on either of their official social media accounts — Facebook or Twitter.
The Schaumburg Police Department does not have official active Twitter or Facebook accounts.
A school alert from School District 54 was not posted until 3:37 p.m. Thursday. Considering the delayed school alert and lack of real-time alerts from the police, there was no opportunity for residents to report sightings of the suspected vehicle or to be aware of the suspicious activity, or to take extra pre-cautions from any possible subsequent attempts of luring a child.
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Safety Alert from District 54
Safety Alert
Posted by Terri McHugh on Thursday, May 21st, 2015 at 3:37 pm
This morning, one of our students reported that he was approached by a man in a black, 4-door vehicle and offered a ride, while on his way to Enders-Salk School on Sagamore Drive in Schaumburg. He ran away and the car did not follow him. He made it to school safely and told his teacher. The Schaumburg Police Department is investigating the matter.
Although we don’t have a more specific description of the man or the vehicle, District 54 wanted to ask parents to remind their children about ways to stay safe on the way to and from school or anytime they are outside. Here are some tips for you and your family on student safety and security.
Know the route your children walk to school, to the bus stop, to friends’ homes and to play areas. Walk with them until you are acquainted with their routine.
Encourage them to walk with a buddy or ask an older student you know to accompany your children to school or the bus stop, and back.
Check out the neighborhood with your children and warn them of potential hazards. Point out homes of people you know and other safe places where they can go for help.
Tell your children to always refuse to go anywhere with people they don’t know. If someone they don’t know stops to ask directions, teach your students to step well back so they can get away fast.
Instruct them to always say “no” if a grownup invites them into their car or home, unless you have given them permission.
Click here [PDF] to access a Stranger Danger Fact Sheet to help you talk about this topic at home with your child.
Any questions or information about this incident can be directed to the Schaumburg Police Department at (847) 882-3534.
IMPORTANT ALERT …
Cardinal Note: As of June 5, 2013 — up to and including the date of this article — police incidents related to the above police agency are not reported in real time or within a prompt time period. Police protecting their realm of investigation and police activity, have chosen to use secret military-grade encrypted radios to withhold their police communications, which were previously open to the public and news media via monitoring of public safety scanning radios — with no known negative results locally.
The delayed knowledge or entirely blacked out knowledge resulting from encrypted police communications may protect certain police operations and investigations, but it also puts the public at risk in situations such as when armed and dangerous offenders are at large and when other similar situations occur, such as when desperate offenders of property crimes are eluding police. In other cases, the delayed or blacked out information inhibits or prohibits the possibility of the public providing early witness accounts before a criminal trail goes cold. Citizens are much more likely to recognize or recall suspicious or criminal activity if they are aware of the criminal incident within minutes or hours of its occurrence. The most serious incident involving dire results would be a trail that is allowed to go cold in the case of child abduction.
The lack of real time information from public police dispatch also weakens an effective neighborhood watch program mostly working to prevent property loss, but also working to prevent possible violent crimes.
Lack of real time information from police dispatch also delays public awareness or eliminates public awareness of general hazards and traffic or other situations in every day living in an otherwise economically thriving community.
Police have alternate ways to transmit tactical, operational or investigative information, while still keeping their main public dispatch channels open for the best balance of public safety and police safety.
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