Neighborhood watch program urges residents to be vigilant after attempted abduction
Columbia police and the city’s Neighborhood Watch program are asking residents to be vigilant after a reported attempted abduction near an elementary school.
Police said an 11-year-old boy was walking home from Fairview Elementary School Tuesday afternoon when a man opened the door to his car and told the boy to get in.
“It’s scary that it’s so close to home,” said Erin Cornish, a Fairview parent.
Cornish met her children at the school doors Wednesday afternoon instead of letting them walk to meet her.
The Columbia Police Department is asking parents to talk to their children about the incident.
“Remind them how important it is to stay on the same path that they’ve instructed them to go on when they’re heading home,” said CPD spokesperson Bryana Larimer.
“It’s unfortunately the society we live in,” said Columbia Neighborhood Watch President Irwin Schneider. “We need to make sure we keep ourselves safe and be aware of our surroundings.”
Schneider taught a group of Columbia residents Wednesday night how to start their own neighborhood watch program.
“Everybody thinks that their neighborhood is safe, but at any time something could be going on,” he said. “So the idea is don’t wait until there’s an incident.”
Schneider said he learned about the attempted abduction after getting a press release from the Police Department. He said he shared the information with his neighbors on Facebook and on the Nextdoor app.
“A couple folks said, ‘Boy, that’s scary,'” he said. “Another one said, ‘Thank you posting that.'”
Schneider said it’s important neighbors talk to each other about what’s going on around them.
“If folks are communicating with each other, they know each other. Then if something is going wrong, they’re going to communicate with the rest of their neighbors,” he said.
CPD said Wednesday afternoon it was already receiving reports of sightings of the suspect car around Columbia. The department is asking everyone to report anything matching the description of the suspect and the car.
