Police stress parents’ role in child safety

LYNN – Single mother Lauren Trahan has her hands full raising seven children ages 1 to 14 and said she was grateful for the Lynn Public Schools safety night.”The 4-year-old likes to go under water, the 5-year-old has a habit of riding her bike with training wheels into the street. We needed this,” she said.Trahan represented what School Safety Officer Robert Ferrari and Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocate Antonio Gutierrez both called the missing piece when it comes to keeping kids safe during the summer: parents.The second annual Elementary Safety Night, emceed by Physical Education Director Michael Geary, was a reminder to parents of things they need to watch out for during the summer months when their children are out of school.”We need you,” Ferrari said to the more than 100 parents in attendance on Tuesday. “They are just children. We need you to listen to what we’re saying, to know the laws and the school rules.”Superintendent Catherine Latham and Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy were on hand to offer welcomes but it was Ferrari, Community Liaison Team officers Michael O’Connell and Peter Alexander along with Fire Capt. Joe Zukas and Gutierrez who schooled parents on summer safety.Zukas reminded parents that although they are fun fireworks are illegal and can do serious damage if mishandled.”You could lose fingers or your eyesight, and our number one concern is they cause fires,” he said.He also urged parents to learn to swim and teach their kids to swim but not in the city’s reservoirs or ponds. Families should swim at the beach where there are lifeguards or in a pool, he said.Zukas also told parents they should program the department’s emergency numbers into their cell phones, make sure their children wear helmets while rollerblading, biking or skateboarding, and everyone should be wearing seatbelts.”Very rarely have we unbuckled a dead person,” he said. “And parents, wear your seatbelts. You can make your kids do it, but they’re watching you.”Ferrari acknowledged the city’s intravenous drug problem and that needles are found in parks and on the street. Guns have been tossed into bushes, and box cutters are a new weapon of choice, he added. He warned children not to pick up anything that resembled the items he listed and for parents to call police if any of the objects are found.”Capt. Zukas stole our thunder,” said O’Connell. “He pretty much covered it all.”However, O’Connell had one request for parents: Do not tell children that if they are bad, the police will come and arrest them.”God forbid a kids gets lost; they’re going to think they’re in trouble and not come up to us if they think we’re going to arrest them and lock them up,” he said. “Kids, we’re here for you if you ever want to just talk to us.”The CLTs are also available to parents, he added.”We’re problem solvers, if your neighbors are making loud noises or you have a parked car, we try and get to the root of the problem so we don’t have to keep coming back.”Gutierrez implored parents to be mindful of their children, who they’re hanging out with, how they are dressed, if they wear only certain colors or if they suddenly have expensive items but no job to pay for them.”If you’re not watching them it’s going to be me or them,” he said, pointing to O’Connell and Alexander. “And if it’s them they’re going to be arrested.”On a lighter note Susan Cronin from the Lynn Public Library was on hand to invite everyone to get a library card and take advantage of the dozens of free programs at the library. And Kristina Pechulis talked about getting kids healthy by establishing safe walking and bike routes to school.Trahan said she appreciated the information offered and was also grateful that her son Vychett Honn was the winner of the shiny red boy’s bike that was raffled off. Although at 21/2, she noted, he’s too young to ride it.”It actually helps us out because I have seven kids, so we can use it,” she said.Five-year-old Tanajah Encarnacion Cespedes won the girl’s bicyc