Police Working to Keep Kids Safe This Summer, On the Lookout for Predators

Protecting your children from any kind of harm is what a certain group of undercover officers do every day. The officers track pedophiles and predators and try and get them off the streets before they strike.

Thursday, June 3rd 2010, 7:10 pm

By: News 9


By Adrianna Iwasinski, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Protecting your children from any kind of harm is what a certain group of undercover officers do every day. The officers track pedophiles and predators and try and get them off the streets before they strike.

Oklahoma City police work one-on-one with the Parks and Recreation Department, training staffers with their "Play in the Park" program, which starts mid June. They teach staff to be on the lookout for suspicious characters and are encouraging parents to do the same.

"We work very closely with our friends over at the police department who come in and teach our staff what to look for in predatory behavior," said Jennifer McClintock, Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department.

Parents at Will Rogers Park said they were glad to know the staff will be on the lookout.

"I'm actually really excited about it. I mean, it's really awesome that they are going to come out and do that. I worry about that all the time," said Jennifer Beck, who was at Will Rogers park Thursday.

But police said they don't want parents to get lulled into a false sense of security.

"The predators are out there. They've got all kinds of different venues to work in and they're working," said Oklahoma City Police Detective Rob Kemmet.

Kemmet is an undercover cop and said he knows the mind of a predator all too well. He's one of the many detectives out there who are trying to track them down before they have an opportunity to approach an unsuspecting child.

"We know there are children who are approached in our city every day, every day. Not once, not twice, lots of times," Kemmet said.

Kemmet said predators look for children wandering off alone. They also look for cars with personalized stickers.

"When you pull up to the park and your three kids get out and everything about them is on the back window of your car, you just gave the predator all he needs to make his initial approach. He knows what sport your kids play, what his number is, what his sister's name is," Kemmet said. "We've intercepted communications between sex offenders talking about using that as approaches for kids."

Detective Kemmet advised parents to look for things that are out of context and said don't be afraid to confront it and never be afraid to call police.

"They shouldn't be afraid. Parents shouldn't be afraid. The bad guy should be afraid. They should fear being caught," Kemmet said.

Police said it is important to talk with your children and empower them. Don't take away freedoms, but encourage your children to speak up and tell you if they encounter something strange. And above all, police said don't brush it off. Your information can be the missing link police need to put predators behind bars.

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