York Town News
Playground scare prompts warning for parents
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - With school out of the season and an influx of visitors to town, police are urging parents to be aware of their children's activities and, at all times of the year, to exercise caution when it comes to their children's safety.
The warning was prompted by a recent event that had parents talking and e-mailing each other about the possibility of a predator seeking out young children at local playgrounds.
During an end-of-school celebration at Coastal Ridge Elementary School last week, an uninvited guest prompted a School Department staff member to contact police.
The employee had noticed an older man who seemed out of place at the fourth-grade celebration event Tuesday evening, according to police, who have confirmed that summer weather brings not only more chances to be outdoors but more reasons for parents and children alike to exercise caution.
Police have also received reports of a man asking children questions at local playgrounds.
Though neither man has been located, and police have said the incidents do not appear to be related, they are urging parents to be aware and to be careful.
"This time of year we tend to see a lot of transients; a lot of people that we don't know," York Police Chief Douglas Bracy said last week. "You have to take more precautions with your children, especially when they're out playing."
Bracy said the incident with the man at the Coastal Ridge is believed to be a case of an individual with dementia or a similar condition. However, he said, the mild temperatures of summer mean an increase of people who are sleeping out under the stars and living out of backpacks.
And while not every transient person poses a threat to children, Bracy said it is important for parents to realize that York's proximity to a major interstate does. If a child were to be abducted, he said, it would be only a matter of minutes before a car could disappear into the traffic of the highway.
"If you're scared about sexual predators in your town, do a query for 20 miles or 40 miles," Bracy said.
For example, there are 67 names listed as sex offenders on the state's database for the zip code 03909 and the 15-mile radius surrounding that area.
When it comes to protecting children, Bracy said, knowledge and information are essential.
"Teaching our kids is so important for keeping them safe," he said. "You don't want to be naïve, regardless of where you live."
