Manion’s Message
Hi Parents of Hickory Hills! Lately the Hickory Hills Police Department has seen a growing number of incidents involving the internet and social media. Social media can be a creative outlet for teens and be used to stay connected with friends and family. It is a fast and efficient way for news and important information to be communicated but it also holds a substantial amount of false information that can open them up to potential danger.
Something that starts as a small disagreement in the hallway at school can turn into threatening messages and online bullying. It is important to watch your child’s social media to make sure they are not being bullied or being the bully. Please remind your children of basic internet precautions such as: do not use their real last name on their accounts, do not take or post ‘private’ photos of themselves or anyone else, and do not friend or talk to strangers online. Make sure you have a way to log into your child’s accounts
if need be. In many cases having access to information on those accounts sooner rather than later is very beneficial.
There are scary things happening in the world and your children are most likely going to be seeing some concerning and scary images online. Please talk to them about the current events going on and keep them as informed as you see appropriate. Take it from someone who grew up in the ‘social media generation’… it is important to have an open dialogue with your children so they feel comfortable coming to you if they experience anything that makes them uncomfortable either online or in person.
-Officer Kaitlyn Manion
Click here to download a PDF version.
Suggestions
-Use caution when buying from strangers on the internet.
-Please don’t leave young children unattended in a car, while you “run in” to a business. It is never safe.
-This should go without saying but please do not send private pictures of yourself to strangers. We have had a handful that turn into attempts at extorting money
Police Beat
Broken record but lots of accidents still.
-Lots of parking issues and cars getting towed from private lots.
-We had a ruse burglary, said they were with water department. The Deputy Chief may have jinxed us, as he cautioned us in the last edition. Be diligent.
-Landlords and tenants not getting along. One side not paying rent and the otheracting less than morally.
-A couple fights at the schools amongst students.
-Normal amount of domestic disturbances and some at businesses. One business disturbance, two men got into an unnecessary argument, ending in a push. The man fell and was knocked out when he hit his head. Sad call.
-checked on some burglar alarms, assisted some neighboring agencies and made a handful of traffic arrests