Act immediately if you believe your child is missing.

Call 911 (emergency/immediate) or (510) 790-6800, ext 3 to report a late case.

New Resources to Keep Children Safe In and Around Cars

Information by Safe Kids

Safe Kids Worldwide has teamed up with the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association to provide parents and caregivers with a suite of online and virtual resources to properly use and install car seats and to keep kids safe in and around cars. 

• Ultimate Car Seat Guide – This interactive tool provides expert guidance to parents on everything from how to fit a child into a car seat to how to know when it is time to move to a new type of seat.
• Live Assistance from Manufacturer Product Specialists – While Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technician programs and inspections are less available now, manufacturers are essential and continue to help parents use their car seats correctly. This compilation lists customer service phone numbers, websites, hours, and video assistance opportunities.
• Phone Call with Your Local Safe Kids Coalition – Many local Safe Kids coalitions have certified child passenger safety technicians who are available to answer your specific questions over the phone. Find a coalition near you.
• Car Seat Cleaning Tips for COVID-19 – During a time when we are all focused on keeping things sanitary, families can access the latest information from their car seat manual or by contacting their car seat manufacturer.
• Interactive Map of State Law Requirements - Car seats, booster seats, and seat belts are required in all states and territories, and laws specify how children must be protected by properly used car seats, booster seats, or seat belts.
• Heatstroke Prevention Tips – In the past few years, more than 100 children died of heatstroke because they were alone or became trapped in a hot car.

See all Safe Kids press releases about new resources for parents to keep kids safe in cars.

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California Car Seat Laws

• All children under the age of 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat.
• All children under 2 years old—unless they weigh 40 or more pounds or are more than 40 inches tall—must ride in a rear-facing car seat.
• Children who are 8 years of age or 4’9” or taller may use a booster seat.
• Children over 8 years of age must wear a seat belt.

Resources on Car Seat Information and Installation

• Car Seat Information from US Department of Transportation
• Car Seat Safety Tips and Guide from SafeKids.org
• Center for Disease Control features child-passenger safety tips and car seat installation guide.

Keeping kids Safe

Annually, several hundred children under the age of 13 die in car crashes in the United States. Tens of thousands more suffer injuries, including permanent brain damage and spinal cord harm. Traffic collisions are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 5 and 14, yet many deaths and injuries could be prevented by making sure children are properly restrained with seat belts or child-safety seats.

Be a good role model! Always buckle-up. And remember:

• Use a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt for every trip, no matter how short.
• The back seat is the safest place for your young child. All children aged 12 and under should sit in the back seat, in safety seats, or boosters.
• It is safest for very young children to stay in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, at least until age 2, and until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their seat. This helps support the child’s head, neck, and spine.
• Similarly, children who have graduated to a forward-facing car safety seat with a harness should use that seat as long as possible. Many seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds or more.
• Never place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle that has an active front passenger airbag. If the airbag inflates, it will hit the back of the car safety seat and could cause serious injury or death.
• After buckling up your child, make sure to test for a snug and secure fit.
• Always use proper car seats or boosters—never pillows, books, or towels, which can slide around and increase the chance of injuries.
• When buying a car-seat or booster, make sure the label says it conforms to U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
• Never use a booster seat that has been in a crash. The seat may have defects that are not visible. Also avoid using seats that are more than ten years old. Safety standards may have changed.
• Even in winter, avoid putting your baby or child in a car-seat while wearing bulky clothing, since that can compress in a crash and leave the straps too loose, resulting in injuries. You can always put a coat or blanket around the child over the harness straps if necessary.
• Read the instructions for the child safety or booster seat before installing them. If the vehicle has only lap belts in the back seat, consider having shoulder belts installed by a dealer or repair shop.
• Remember to fill out and mail the registration card that comes with the safety or booster seat so you will be notified in case of a recall.

Car Seat Safety Inspections

• We have currently suspended car seat inspections until further notice.

The increase in gang-related violence reinforces the need for parents to know where their children are, who they are with, and what they are doing.

Signs of Gang Involvement

How can you tell if your child is involved in a gang? Here are some early warning signs parents can look for:

• School attendance and performance decline.
• They change friends and you never meet their new friends.
• They get into trouble with the law. Theft, truancy, running away, graffiti, vandalism, violence, and possession of weapons are common problems associated with gang activity.
• They may be afraid to go to school because of threats of violence.
• They may use nicknames or refer to their friends by nicknames.
• You may notice alcohol and/or drug use.
• You notice a change in dress and appearance. They want to wear only specific colors, over-sized clothing, bandannas, baseball caps, etc. Look for gang logos on the inside of coats and hats. They may also use tattoos to identify themselves.
• You see a lack of interest or a complete withdrawal from school activities, sports programs, hobbies, etc.
• Your children become difficult to communicate with. They become argumentative when you talk about their activities and friends.
• Your children may not spend much time at home and may not want to attend family activities.

Causes and Results of Gang Activity

Being aware of these signs is only a small part of dealing with the problem. Let's look at a few of the causes and results of gang activity, and some preventative and reactive measures.

There are many reasons why kids join gangs. Some kids feel like their home life is unhappy. They feel they don’t get attention or recognition. Discipline, enforcement of rules, communication, and love may be lacking or non-existent. In some homes, communication and conflict resolution comes in the form of arguing and physical violence and you may notice kids mimicking this type of behavior.

Other kids join gangs because of peer pressure and a lack of self-esteem. They get a sense of status, camaraderie, and identity by being involved in a gang. They are easily influenced, and may not be strong enough to say no to activities they know are wrong. Some kids are pressured to join gangs, while others join to get protection from other gangs. The money generated by criminal activity can also be a motivating factor. Having access to large amounts of money can be especially tempting.

Preventing Gang Involvement

How can you reduce the chance that your children will become gang members?

• Be a good role model. You must set the standards for acceptable behavior. Kids who are exposed to dishonesty, drug/alcohol abuse, violence, and a lack of respect for people, property, and authority are more likely to exhibit similar behavior.
• Build positive self-esteem and discuss the dangers of gangs. Kids who have the proper self image don't need to rely on gangs for recognition or status.
• Take an active interest in your child's activities. Get them involved in after-school sports or activities.
• Monitor and control their behavior. Be firm but fair when it comes to discipline and enforcing the rules.

Consequences of Joining a Gang

What can happen to kids who join gangs? The initiation into some gangs involves being jumped in. This usually means getting into a fight to see how tough they are. Some kids are seriously beaten by several members as part of this jumping in process. Others are required to commit criminal acts.

Although some kids are able to outgrow this stage, others cannot. Many gang members develop serious patterns of alcohol and drug abuse, criminal behavior, and violence. Some are seriously injured or killed, others end up in prison, and many are unable to obtain good jobs because of their past.

As first responders, we are trained to recognize and adhere to serving community members with special needs.  We understand children with special needs may have difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication. Sometimes, they may not be able to respond to their names and may conceal themselves in hard-to-find spaces.  If your child is missing, please help us help you by providing as much information as you can. Complete a profile and be ready to share:

• Does the child have a tracking device (such as airtag, smart phone or smart watch) or any type of tracking technology on them?  If so, which one and how is the information accessed?
• Is the child non-verbal? How will the child react to his/her name when being called?
• Does the child know his/her parents' names, address, and phone number?
• Where does the child like to go? Does the child have a favorite place?
• Has the child wandered away before? If so, where was he/she found?
• Does the child have a sibling with special needs? If so, has that sibling wandered away before? If so, where was the sibling found?
• Is the child attracted to water? If so, can the child swim?
• Is the child attracted to active roadways/highways?
• Does the child have a fascination with vehicles such as trains, heavy equipment, airplanes, or fire trucks?
• Will the child respond to particular voice such as that of his/her mother, father, relative, caregiver, or friend?
• Does the child have a favorite song, toy, or character? If so, who/what is it?
• Does the child have any specific skills, dislikes, fear, or behavioral triggers?
• How might the child react to sirens, helicopters, airplanes, search dogs, people in uniform, or those participating in a search team?
• How does the child respond to pain or injury?
• What is the child's response to being touched?
• Does the child wear a medical ID tag?
• Does the child have any sensory, medical, or dietary issues and requirements?
• Does the child rely on any life-sustaining medication?
• Does the child become upset easily? If so, what methods are used to calm him/her down?

Download Children with Special Needs Personal Emergency Profile

The internet has opened up a world of information for anyone with a device and a connection! Your children will know how to use a variety of devices and can potentially be exposed to anyone or any information.  Just as you wouldn't send children near a busy road without some safety rules, you shouldn't send them on to the information superhighway without rules of the road.  Too many dangers from pedophiles to con artists can reach children (and adults) through the internet.

Getting Started

• Explain that although a person may be alone in a room using the computer, once logged on to the Internet, he or she is no longer alone. People skilled in using the Internet can find out who you are and where you are. They can even tap into information in your computer.
• Set aside time to explore the Internet together. If your child has some computer experience, let him or her take the lead. Visit areas of the World Wide Web that have special sites for children.

Controlling Access

• The best tool a child has for screening material found on the Internet is his or her brain. Teach children about exploitation, pornography, hate literature, excessive violence, and other issues that concern you, so they know how to respond when they see this material.
• Choose a commercial online service that offers parental control features. These features can block contact that is not clearly marked as appropriate for children; chat rooms, bulletin boards, news groups, and discussion boards; or access to the Internet entirely.
• Purchase blocking software and design your own safety system. Different packages can block sites by name, search for unacceptable words and block access to sites containing these words, block entire categories of material, and prevent children from giving out personal information.
• Monitor your children when they’re online and monitor the time they spend online. If a child becomes uneasy or defensive when you walk into the room or when you linger, this could be a sign that he or she is up to something unusual or even forbidden.

Tell Your Children

• To always let you know immediately if they find something scary or threatening on the
  Internet.
• Never to give out their name, address, telephone number, password, school name, parent’s name, or any other personal information.
• Never to agree to meet face-to-face with someone they’ve met online.
• Never to respond to messages that have bad words or seem scary or just weird.
• Never to enter an area that charges for services without asking you first.
• Never send a picture of themselves to anyone without your permission.

What you can do in the Community 

• Make sure that adults monitor access to the Internet at your children’s school.
• Know your children’s friends and their parents. If your child’s friend has Internet access at home, talk to the parents about the rules they have established. Find out if the children are monitored while they are online.
• Make sure that your child’s school has an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). This policy should include a list of acceptable and unacceptable activities or resources, information on “netiquette” (etiquette on the Internet), consequences for violations, and a place for you and your child to sign. Your family can design its own AUP for the home computer.
• If your child receives threatening e-mails or pornographic material, save the offensive material and contact that user’s Internet service provider and your local law enforcement agency.
• If you come across sites that are inappropriate for children when you are surfing the Net, send the addresses to online services that offer parental control features or to sites advertising protection software to add to their list to be reviewed for inclusion or exclusion. Even if you don’t subscribe to the service or own the protection software, you can help protect other children.

Are you a responsible parent? Do you leave your children home alone? Do they know how to deal with strangers who come to the door or call on the phone? Do your children know how to handle emergencies? These are questions you should ask yourself if you have children.

Unfortunately, cases involving irresponsible adults leaving children by themselves in homes and cars are quite common. Sometimes they end with the children being removed by authorities, and sometimes they end in tragedy.

With more parents working, many kids come home to an empty house after school. These children are called latchkey children. It is important to consider what your children are doing between the time they get home from school and the time you get home from work.

First, you must decide if your child is capable of being left alone. Is your child old enough? Is he mature enough? Is he trustworthy and responsible? Will he let other kids into the house? There is no specific legal age that allows a parent to leave a child alone. Some 12 year olds may be capable, some may not. Some 17 year olds may not be capable. It depends on the child. Hiring a sitter or having your child go to a friend or relative's house may be a good alternative.

Precautions

If your child does stay home alone, here are some important considerations:

• Make sure children have their own keys to the house. Don't hide keys outside or leave doors open for them.
• Teach children to look around the outside of the house when they get home from school. If they see signs of forced entry, they should not go in. Tell them to go to a neighbor's house to call the police.
• Have children check in with you or a family member by phone when they get home from school.
• Make sure they keep doors and windows locked.
• Teach them how to properly answer the front door and telephone. They should not open doors to strangers, and not tell people they are alone.
• Make sure they understand fire safety rules. If they are allowed to use the stove, make sure they practice safe cooking procedures. They should have access to a fire extinguisher and know how to use it. If the fire is too large to control, they should get out of the house.
• Teach children how to shut off the water and electricity.
• Teach your children about basic first aid procedures.
• Make sure children know their address and phone number. Keep a list of responsible people and their phone numbers near the phone.
• Teach them how to report emergency and non-emergency police and fire incidents.

Traveling Safety

During school, many young children will find themselves in a position where they are responsible for their own safety and security. For many, this will be the first time in their lives, an adult will not be watching over them as they walk to and from school. Most children will adapt well to their newly acquired independence and will not have any problems. Others, however, will not be so fortunate.

Many children are injured each year as a result of accidents while traveling to and from school. Some children are also harassed by adults or older teenagers, and a very small number are actually abducted and/or physically harmed.

How Parents Can Help

As a parent, it is your responsibility to provide your children with enough knowledge to get them to and from school safely. Please take the time to discuss safety issues with your children. Talk about these issues now instead of waiting until after something happens. Here are some suggested topics for discussion:

• Encourage your children to travel with other trustworthy children. Make a point to get to know who your children are with. Write down their names, addresses and phone numbers, and familiarize yourself with their parents whenever possible. If you allow your children to visit a friend's home, meet the family first to make sure you are comfortable with the supervision and the environment.
• Make sure your children know what to do if they are confronted by a stranger. Children should keep their distance from strangers and not allow strangers to get close enough to grab them. Generally speaking, children should be taught to say no to a stranger's request or advance. Children should quickly get away from the stranger, and should tell a responsible adult what happened.
• Take an interest in your children's daily travels and activities. Map out safe, well-traveled routes for your children to follow. Don't allow children to take short cuts or make unnecessary stops along the way.
• Teach children how to anticipate and avoid potential hazards and dangers. Prevention is always the first and most important element of personal safety and self defense. This is especially true for children because most children are too small to physically overpower an adult or older teenager.
• Teach your children to obey all traffic safety rules and regulations. Make sure you set a good example for them.
• Teach children the difference between good touching and bad touching, and encourage them not to be afraid to talk about these issues. Make sure they know that bad touching can be committed by someone who may not be a stranger.
• Teach your children the tricks that strangers may use to get them into cars or follow them to other areas. These tricks may include offers of candy or money, asking for help in finding a lost pet, asking for directions and then pulling them into a car, or saying they were sent by a parent to pick them up. Parents and children should agree on a secret password in case parents have to send someone else to pick them up.

Take an active role to prevent youth violence and protect child health and safety.

Information for parents, relatives, teachers, coaches, and other concerned community adults to identify serious concerns for their children.

Can you identify the signs and symptoms of emotional problems in children and teens? How do you tell the difference between a normal childhood mood swing and the early signs of potential mental disorder? Each individual situation varies, but here are some helpful general guidelines.

Positive parental time and attention is the most important protection. Make time to have regular, meaningful conversations with your child. Ask about his or her daily life and feelings, and really listen!

When Should You Take Action?

Some situations are very serious and should be acted upon immediately:

• Bringing weapons to school
• Threats or acts of violence (against pets, people)
• Obsession with, or interest in, weapons or violent acts
• Self- harm (cutting, burning, bruising)
• Talking or thinking of suicide
• Being hurt or victimized by others
• Illegal actions
• Running away from home
• Use of alcohol or drugs
• Delusions or hallucinations

Seek help if you notice changes in your child’s behavior, or symptoms of distress that last more than two weeks:

• Lying or stealing
• Increased truancy
• Decrease in school grades
• Isolating from friends and family Irritability, anger
• Loss of interest in usual activities
• Conflict with peers and friends
• Sleep problems or fatigue
• Low self-esteem
• Frequent headaches, stomach problems
• Poor or excessive appetite
• Crying spells
• Excessive worrying and fears
• Hopelessness
• Poor concentration
• Err on the side of caution. If something feels wrong, take action!

Who do I call for professional help?

• Call the police or 911 for urgent or dangerous situations
• Talk to your school principal about immediate access to counseling services at school.
• Make an appointment with your child’s doctor to screen for mental and physical health problems.
• For questions about youth behaviors, crisis screening and support, assessments, and counseling, call:
  • Youth and Family Services (YFS) in the City of Fremont Human Services Department at 510-574-2100. Citizens may call anonymously with concerns about a youth’s behavior.
  • Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)