A MESSAGE FROM MARC

InsideDONOR PROFILE ...................................... 2

FOUNDATION UPDATES ............................ 3

A NEW AGENDA FOR OUR

CHILDREN’S SAFETY...................................4

FEAR IS NOT THE ANSWER: TALKING

TO YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT SAFETY ...... 6

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS .............. 7

SPRING 1997, VOL. 3, NO. 2 1

R E V I E WK L A A S A C T I O NR E V I E W

T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E M A R C K L A A S F O U N D A T I O N F O R C H I L D R E N

T here are many battles to be fought in the war to makeAmerica safe for all children.However, America’s current focuson stronger sentencing is reallynothing more than a skirmish. Weare also kidding ourselves if wethink we can declare victorythrough full implementation ofNeighborhood Watch programs andproactive partnerships to fightcrime.

These solutions, as important asthey are, only address the currentgeneration of criminals. If otherfamilies are to be spared the painmine has endured, policymakersneed to look beyond the deathpenalty or prison sentences. Insteadthey must focus on the critical stepsour communities and nation cantake to protect all children. This isthe battlefront that will protectfuture generations from anepidemic of crime.

In America today, we can savethousands of children and adults ifwe invest now in proven programsthat help kids get the right start andprevent them from becomingcriminals in the first place.

The plain truth is that weignore the most powerful weaponswe have against crime. Programslike Head Start, parentingeducation, mentoring, job training,good schools, and after-schoolprograms can dramatically reducecrime by helping kids become

productive citizens instead of brutalcriminals. For example:• High Scope EducationalResearch Foundation’s PerryPreschool study, which took placeover two decades ago, combined ahigh-quality Head Start-styleprogram for three- and four-year-olds with weekly home visits tocoach their parents. High Scoperandomly chose half the childrenwho applied. Twenty-three yearslater, its researchers found that kidswho took part in these programswere five times less likely to bechronic lawbreakers.• A Syracuse University FamilyDevelopment Research Programshowed that comprehensive earlychildhood services sharply cutsubsequent delinquency. Kids in acomparison group that did notreceive those services were ten timesmore likely to have a record ofdelinquency.

(Continued on page 3)

Kl aasF o u n d at i o n

F o r c h i l d r e n

METER SLEUTHS SEEK MISSING KIDS

2 SPRING 1997, VOL. 3, NO. 2

A Klaas Foundation Donor Profile

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© 1997 by the Klaas Foundation for Children. The Klaas Action Reviewis published quarterly for Foundation members. Dedicated to thememory of Polly Klaas, the Foundation’s purpose is to inform parents,children, and communities about how to prevent crimes againstchildren through personal action and support of legislation. Editorial:Freeman Communications, Berkeley, CA. Design Concept: BlackburnDesign, Petaluma, CA. Printing: Marin Stat, San Rafael, CA.

By Joe Klaas

A child is missing!Volunteers without search warrants watch for the

lost child inside every piece of private property for milesaround. They enter backyards, basements, fruit groves,livestock ranches, industrial sites, places of business, andother offbeat locations which might hide a lost, runaway,or kidnapped child. Hundreds armed with photographsand a description of the vanished child fan out withimpunity to keep an eye on every piece of privateproperty in the state.

Sound too good to be true? It’s happening right now.Scott A. Sankey of Port Charlotte, Florida, came up

with an idea which has these volunteers operatingbetween Homestead, Florida, and Jacksonville, south ofTampa to Naples, throughout the West Palm Beach area,and north to the Ocala region. Scott is a meter reader withFlorida Power and Light, and he has 450 other meter

readers looking forFlorida’s missing children.

Combining Work andCommunity Service“I was thrilled when Scottcame to me with theidea,” said his supervisorSherri Fields of the PuntaGorda office. “We can alldo our jobs and somecommunity service at thesame time.” Scott receives photo-graphs and data on miss-ing Florida children fromthe National Center for

Missing and Exploited Children in Washington, D.C.They are posted in the meter reader office and companylunchroom. Florida Power and Light’s special consumerservices department distributes updated posters to 31meter-reading locations companywide.

“Since we are out there every day, the posters willenable us to provide another set of eyes that maybe canhelp locate a missing child,” Scott said. “It also willhopefully act as a deterrent to this tragic crime. If thesecriminals know that we are out there watching themhouse to house, motel to motel, building to building, andtrailer park to campground, it may help us stop a childabduction in the first place.”

Utilities Working Together for Children“Scott was the first person from a utility company to callus for our support,” said Lee Steinwick, a spokesperson atthe National Center. “We’re happy to help, because itopens a new avenue for getting out the word on missingand exploited children.”

“I’d love to answer questions from any other meterreaders or utility companies that would like to spread thehouse-to-house search for missing kids from coast tocoast,” said Scott. “They can reach me for more atinformation at 941/624-0438, or by e-mail atsej137mp@sunline.net.”

“If these criminals know

that we are out there

watching them house to

house, motel to motel,

building to building,

trailer park to camp-

ground, it may help us

stop abductions in the

first place.”

Florida Power and Light’s Scott Sankey helped organizethe utility’s meter readers to search for missing children.

SPRING 1997, VOL. 3, NO. 2 3

Klaas Foundation Updates

T

A MESSAGE FROM MARC (CONT.)

AUTO DEALERS REV UP FOR

CHILD SAFETY CAMPAIGN

• Other studies show that help forolder kids can also significantlyimprove their—and our—chances.For example, when the QuantumOpportunities Program had highschool kids participate in communityservice and gave them counseling,academic help, and financialincentives, it cut the risk of arrest by50 percent.

If you do not trust the studies,ask America’s police force. In a recentsurvey by criminologist JackMcDevitt, nine out of ten policechiefs said, “America could sharplyreduce crime” if government investedin more of these Right Startprograms. Asked which strategieswould have the greatest long-termimpact in reducing crime, policechiefs picked increasing investments

in kids by a three-to-one margin overtrying more juveniles as adults oreven hiring more police officers.

Ultimately, programs like theseactually save tax dollars while theysave lives and property. For example,High Scope’s Perry Preschool saved$148,000 in crime costs for every childserved. Unfortunately, Right Startinvestments are so under-funded thatthey cannot begin to serve more thana small portion of the kids who needthem. Vanderbilt University crim-inologist Mark Cohen estimatesAmerica would save $1.5 million foreach high-risk youngster divertedfrom a life of crime.

Don’t get me wrong—we doneed to get dangerous criminals offthe street and behind bars. However,

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he Klaas Foundation’s effort to spread information on childsafety has gotten a boost in the Southand Midwest, as regional autodealerships rally to co-sponsor aseries of child safety events.

The new campaign supportstown hall meetings; “KlaasRoom”programs for children; and ChildSafety Days, held on auto dealershiplots with fingerprinting and dis-tribution of the Child ID Safety Kit.

The new campaign is organizedby Mark J. Bott of Automotive 100 inSpringfield, IL, who helped to kickoff the campaign in Green Bay, WI.

“Ninety-nine percent of thepeople in this country arewonderful,” Bott said. “We arecontrolled by the one percent whohave no regard for human life. As wego from city to city, I will convince

if we do not invest in programs thathelp children become caring citizensinstead of brutal criminals, we will allpay an unfathomable cost in brokenlives and broken hearts.

We cannot win the war againstcrime solely by focusing on prisonconstruction and punishment. Wewill win the war on crime when weare ready to invest our time, energy,and tax dollars in America’s mostvulnerable children, so that theynever become America’s mostwanted adults. Anything else is toolittle, too late.

By ignoring proven solutions, ourpolicymakers are ignoring our mosteffective weapons in the war againstcrime. The way I see it, that is beingsoft on crime.

business leaders to put the full courtpress on our politicians to legislatechange.”

Events during the next fewmonths include: Syracuse, NY, FultonDealer Assn., April 11–12; Scottsdale,

AZ, Van Chevrolet Geo, April 25–26;Lawrence, KS, Crown Auto, May 9–10; Columbus, OH, Key Olds Co.,May 16–17; Middlebury, CT, CountyLine Auto, May 20–21; Green Brooks,New Jersey, Crystal Motors, June 3–4.

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Marc Klaas leads a “KlaasRoom” to teach kids how to stay safe.

A NEW AGENDA FOR OURCHILDREN’S SAFETY

4 SPRING 1997, VOL. 3, NO. 2

Legislation for Child Safety: What Is Our Government Doing?

By Mark Green, Wisconsin State Representative

W e’ve all heard the sad stories. They’re

on television, in the paper,and—for the mostunfortunate of us—writtenon the faces of our familymembers or friends.Tragically, every communityin America has its own PollyKlaas, and too many havemore than one.

Here in Northeast Wis-consin, we have Cora Jones.Cora was a wonderful 12-year-old girl who went out for abike ride on a country road and never came back. Hermurderer was an individual named David Spanbauer,who, prior to taking Cora’s life, had been in and out ofprison for numerous sex offenses. If you’re thinking thatDavid Spanbauer sounds a lot like Polly’s killer, RichardAllen Davis, you’re right. Not only does everycommunity have a Polly or a Cora, but unfortunately, itmay have a Davis or a Spanbauer as well.

What can be done to protect our children? First, thereare countless precautionary habits we can adopt andteach to our children which promote safety. The KlaasFoundation for Children has compiled an excellent ChildIdentification Package full of tips and ideas on how tokeep our kids out of harm’s way (see the accompanyingarticle on talking to your kids about safety, page 6).Neighborhood Watch organizations are also great. Theypromote community involvement and get everyone in thehabit of watching out for their neighbors’ best interests.

Of course, these actions alone cannot guarantee theprevention of the next Polly or the next Cora. There isonly one sure way to do that—we must change our lawsto keep monsters like Richard Allen Davis and DavidSpanbauer off the street and away from our children.

The Klaas Agenda InitiativesWith that in mind, I recently worked with Marc Klaas toformulate a Klaas Agenda for Wisconsin. This agendaconsists of four initiatives which are applicable to anystate.

Two Strikes for Child Molesters: Any criminalconvicted twice for violent sexual offenses against a childwill be sentenced to prison for life without the possibilityof parole.

Children’s Privacy Protection: This legislation willprohibit the sale of personal information about childrenwithout parental consent. It also empowers parents torequest from list brokers the source of their informationand the entities which request data on their child.Amazingly, nearly anyone can now call a list broker andobtain personal information about our children—wherethey live, their names, gender, etc. This is unacceptable.

Lifetime Monitoring of Sexual Offenders: Thismeasure gives judges the option to sentence most sexoffenders to some kind of state monitoring for the rest oftheir lives. We want to send a clear message to thesecriminals—we are watching and you had better not slipup.

Death Penalty for Child Murders: If youintentionally take the life of a child, you deserve to die. Itis as simple as that.

Each of theseproposals have at theircore one simpleobjective: keepingcriminals away from ourchildren. Both RichardAllen Davis and DavidSpanbauer hadpreviously committedcrimes which shouldhave had them servingtime instead of outcommitting murders. In other words, Polly and Cora’sdeaths could have been prevented.

Green Bay Effort Rallies SupportWith the help of local businessman Jim Prast, Marc Klaaswas able to come to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and help usannounce this agenda. We dedicated our work to thememory of his daughter and the thousands of othervictims like Polly and Cora. The response has beenoverwhelming. I have received a great deal of support

Not only does every

community have a

Polly or a Cora, but

unfortunately, it may

have a Davis or a

Spanbauer as well.

Mark Green, author ofWisconsin’s Klaas Agenda

SPRING 1997, VOL. 3, NO. 2 5

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from colleagues in the legislature and numerous citizenswho want to help me pass this agenda into law.

Our legal system has evolved to the point where itvalues the rights of the criminal over the rights of thevictim. It was not supposed to be this way, and we needto change it back. The Klaas Agenda is a good start.

In the constant struggle of good versus evil in oursociety today, it seems that evil is too often the victor.Marc Klaas taught me that. He also taught me that thegood guys are fed up, and it’s time we fought back. Wecan do that by forming Neighborhood Watch groups,working with the Klaas Foundation for Children tofingerprint and photo-ID the kids in your community, andteaching our own kids to stay away from strangers.However, we mustn’t forget that the most effective way tokeep our kids safe is to keep criminals off the street, andour laws need to reflect that goal.

In preparation for Marc Klaas’ visit to Green Bay, Ihad my office search the Internet for old press clippingson the Polly Klaas story. I have to admit that I had troublereading through the articles. I was disturbed by the sagaof Polly’s abduction and murder. I was angered by

Richard Allen Davis’ callous actions and hateful attitudetoward Marc. However, with all due respect, those facts,as horrible as they are, were not my biggest concern. Ihave three children. I now know that any one of themcould be the next Polly or the next Cora. That scares me,and as a legislator I intend to make it my mission to keepthe next Davis or the next Spanbauer away from mychildren and yours.

What You Can DoWhile in Green Bay, areport asked Marc Klaasa question I myselfwondered, “Why you?” Iwill never forget Marc’sresponse or the sternlook on his face when hesaid, “They picked onthe wrong guy thistime.”

We all should havethat fire in our belly—your daughter or soncould be the next Polly. Iencourage you to contact your local legislator and findout what the laws are in your state. Then, ask them tointroduce the points of this agenda which are not alreadyin the law. If they have questions, have them contact meat by phone at 608/261-9474 or by writing to the Office ofState Representative Mark Green, P.O. Box 8952, Madison,WI, 53708-8952. I will gladly send them a copy of theseproposals.

Mark Green (right) and Marc Klaas launch theKlaas Agenda campaign effort in Green Bay, WI.

Our legal system has

evolved to the point

where it values the

rights of the criminal

over the rights of the

victim. It was notsupposed to be this

way, and we need to

change it back.

Legislation for Child Safety: What Is Our Government Doing?

FEAR IS NOT THE ANSWER:TALKING TO YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT SAFETY

Teaching Children About Safety

6 SPRING 1997, VOL. 3, NO. 2

OBy Robert Stuber, Founder of Kid Watch and author of “Missing”

ver the years I have participated in more

television, radio, and newspaperinterviews than I can count. At somepoint during each interview, an oldand familiar question recurs: “Howdo you teach children to be safewithout scaring them?” My answer isalways the same, “Fear is not theenemy. Denial is!”

The subject of child safety scaresparents more than it does children.Children have a tremendous capacityto learn and draw conclusions frominformation that they receive. It iswrong to withhold informationdesigned to enhance a child’s lifebecause we are afraid of scaring thechild. If you do not sensationalize,but speak from a position of com-passion and love, fear will not be theend result.

What may easily frighten yourchildren, however, is seeing andhearing fragments of tragic storiesabout other children unfold in themedia. If no one follows up bytalking about it, they are left withonly the frightening atmosphere ofthe story. Missing children in thenews too often become the onlycatalyst for opening a dialoguebetween adult and child on thesubject. At times like these, adultsmay be so horrified by the event thatthey pass on more fear to their childthan they do instruction.

Raising Safety-Minded ChildrenTo raise safety minded children, youmust talk to them regularly, not justwhen there is a breaking news story.You must be willing to take on somepretty unsavory subjects, such as

child predators, drugs, and violence.But, if you deny these realities, theywill come back to haunt you in oneform or another. When it comes toteaching your child the importantlessons in life, there is no one morequalified than you. Don’t be afraid totrust your parental instincts.

In my travels I have had thewonderful opportunity of meetingand talking with parents around thecountry. Two main issues continue tosurface.1. What can we do to help changeour communities and the country tomake them safer for children?2. What is the best way to startteaching our children about safetyissues?

To these questions I suggest thefollowing.

First, develop a productive andintimate relationship with anorganization dedicated to changingthe laws in this country on behalf ofchild safety: an organization thatunderstands and advocates on behalfof children, and fights to stay on thecutting edge of research, information,and change. The Klaas Foundationfor Children is leading the way forchild advocates across America.Remember, fear is the enemy. Theonly way to defeat it is through goodsolid information.

Second, do the following exercisewith your child to get the ball rolling.

An Exercise for Your Children:Action I.D.Teaching a child how to recognize agood action, as opposed to a bad one,is far more productive than trying toidentify the difference between a

good and or a bad person byappearance. Most adults cannot evendo this, so what makes us think achild can? An action, however, can beseen and discerned before a personcan get close enough to the child tobecome a danger. There are two stepsto the exercise listed below.

Step 1: Find out how your childidentifies “strangers.” Give yourchild some paper and crayons andask him or her to draw a goodstranger and a bad one. Many timesthe child will draw the good strangeras someone that looks friendly andthe bad one as someone that looksdirty and frightening. In reality, thepredators that pose the greatestdanger to children are masters atappearing friendly. This is how theydisarm children for the first contact.

Step 2: Now you can gently andclearly show your child that theycan’t really tell what a person’smotives are by how they look; butthat they can by how they act. Definegood actions and bad ones and beginto point them out to your child on aregular basis—an action a week is agood pace. Where do you find theinformation you need to define goodand bad actions? In your daily life, ininformation gathered from your childsafety organization, and so on.Examples are all around you.

Examples of Good and Bad ActionsFor instance, you and your child arestanding together at the grocerystore. An elderly gentleman walksup, pats your child on the head andsays, “My, what a fine lookingyoungster.” After talking to you for amoment, he walks away. Was he a

SPRING 1997, VOL. 3, NO. 2 7

Thank You to Our Donors—1st Quarter 1997

CorporationsAdobe SystemsBrandon Tire, Inc.Computech, Inc.County of MendocinoCrown Chevrolet-Geo- Oldsmobile, Inc.Dahl & DiLucaDDB Needham WorldwideDiscover CardFort Worth Star-TelegramGrubbs NissanGustman PontiacHarris MethodistIntelJ. Schmidt Advertising/ Fulton AutoJoe Mitock Insurance, Inc.Kiwanis Club of Mid CitiesKodakLaurence A. Cueneo & Associates, Inc.Lazy Duck BoutiqueMajestic OneMarmalade, Ross CAMesquite Independent School DistrictNorthbrook CourtPacific Repertory TheaterPIP PrintingRamada Green BaySafety Patrol #14Showplace Recreation CenterThe Clubhouse for “Kids” Only!Van ChevroletWFAA-TV, Inc.

IndividualsJohnny and Shannon CollaDavid AdamsKelley BardwellBarbara Barren-TiegerAnn BenchoffAmy BowmanMark BottWallace CallowLaurel CurrieGina DamerellJacqueline Daniel

David DanielsSheila DunwoodieHenry GarciaSandra GieslerSandee GlickmanJeanine GovekElena GrantGina and Robin GrossmanMaya GulyMichael HansenBlanche HansonJim HarroldVictoria HelmMichael and Cindy HorowitzHarvey HortonLiz HunekeMarsha ImrieHelen JohnsonJudy KaplanMartha KellyDonna KiemanJohn KlaasPhyllis KohlerLily LeungKenneth LindgrenJerry LintzMary Lou MacNealRay McElheneyRobert MillsMary MichellAlbert MosquedaBarbara MurphyJames NassikasSuzanne RoehrScott SankeyRandall SchwartzJeffrey SferraJeff SirotaJohn William StrongGloria ThomanClifford WaldeckRobin WhitakerSue Wild-KirnPat Cole WilsonMartha WoodenSusan YipMarcia and Kerry YoungNancy ZangerRichard A. Zimmer

THANK YOU TO OUR

FOUNDATION DONORS

stranger? Yes. Was he a bad stran-ger? No.

It’s OK to pay compliments, butwhat’s not OK is if, instead ofwalking up to you, the man tries toget your child’s attention and lurehim away from you. Was he astranger? Yes. Was he a bad stran-ger? Yes! Not because of his appear-ance, but because of his action.

Another example: Your teenageris waiting for you in the shoppingmall parking lot when a man in a legcast, carrying several heavypackages, approaches her. The manasks your daughter to help him takethe packages to his car. Is this anappropriate action? No! The manshould seek assistance from a mallmerchant, not a young girl waitingfor a ride. Parking lots are big andthere is no telling what will happenwhen you reach the vehicle. We aretaught to assist those in need, butmass murderer Ted Bundy used thisclassic assistance lure during hisinfamous crime spree.

And one more: Little Billy lovesto go online and enter Internet chatrooms. He gets into conversationwith 12-year-old Mary. Soon Billyand Mary have told each other allabout themselves, including wherethey live and go to school. Thisbehavior is totally inappropriate—the possibility exists that 12-year-oldMary is really 45-year-old Chesterthe Molester.

There are many action examplesthat you can share with your child-ren to teach how to keep themselvessafer. Just remember: Keep it simple,be creative, and don’t be scared. Getsmart! ■

JOIN THE FOUNDATION AND HELP FIGHT CRIME!To join the Klaas Foundation for Children, please fill out thisform and return it to the address below. Your tax-deductiblemembership costs just $15.00 per year, and includes asubscription to the quarterly Klaas Action Review, with newsand information, practical tips, events, and more.

For no charge, members may also receive:

❑ Information on starting a National CommunityEmpowerment program.

❑ Safety information for your children.

❑ Information about how to support legislation againstcrime in your state.

❑ Other: ___________________________________

As a personal gift, you will also receive the Children’sIdentification Packet and a beautiful “Polly, We Love You”pin, in memory of our inspiration, Polly Klaas.

Name: __________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

❑ Enclosed please find my tax-deductible donation of$_________.

❑ Discover Card ❑ Visa ❑ MasterCard

Credit card number is: ___________________________

Expiration date: ___________________

You may also call “The Klaas Foundation Easy DonationLine” at 1-900-484-5555, ext. 130. A flat rate charge of $10.00will appear on your long distance carrier bill.(Message not updated. Length of call is 1 minute. You must be 18 years old orhave parental permisison. A touch tone phone is required. Technical supportprovided by Creative Communications, Manhattan Beach, CA, 310/318-1056.)

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