Talking with your child about safety

Children pick up on tone. The goal is not to make a child fearful of the world — it is to give them a small set of clear rules they can act on. Safety conversations should be short, frequent, and woven into ordinary routines (the school run, the grocery store, bedtime) rather than treated as a one-time "big talk."

Core rules for younger children (ages 4-9)

• Your body belongs to you. If anyone touches you in a way that feels wrong, tell me, tell your teacher, or tell another trusted adult — and keep telling until someone helps.
• Secrets and surprises are different. Surprises end happily for everyone. If anyone — including a family member — asks you to keep a secret about something they did to you or around you, that is not a real secret.
• If you ever feel scared, lost, or in trouble, look for a helper: a police officer, a teacher, a store employee in uniform, or a parent with kids.
• You can always call me from any phone — you do not have to put money in.

For older children & teens (ages 10-17)

• I will come pick you up — anywhere, any time, no questions asked. If a friend is drinking, if you're somewhere you shouldn't be, if you feel unsafe — call. We can talk about what happened later.
• Your phone, your accounts, and your messages can be reviewed by me at any time. That is not a punishment; it is part of how we keep you safe.
• Never share your location, your school name, or photos in school uniform on a public account.
• If anyone — online or in real life — asks for nude photos, asks to meet in person, or tries to make you keep something a secret from us, come to me immediately. You will not be in trouble.

"Tricky people" instead of "strangers"

Most child-safety experts now teach children to recognize tricky behavior rather than to be afraid of strangers. The reason is simple: the vast majority of child-abuse offenders are known to the child. Telling a child to "be careful of strangers" leaves them defenseless against the person who is most likely to hurt them.

A "tricky person" is anyone — known or unknown — who:

• Asks a child for help. (Adults should ask other adults for help, not children.)
• Tries to lure a child away from a public place, including to find a "lost dog," to "look at puppies," to "help carry groceries," or to "see something cool in the truck."
• Asks a child to keep secrets from their parents.
• Tries to give a child gifts, attention, or special privileges without the parents' knowledge.
• Tries to get a child alone — in a room, a vehicle, a bathroom, or online.
• Touches the child in ways the child has been told are private, or shows the child anything sexual.

Family code word

Pick a simple word that only the immediate family knows — something the child can pronounce and remember. Use it in three situations:

1. Pickup verification. If a friend or relative needs to pick the child up from school, daycare, or practice, they must know the code word. If they don't, the child does not go with them.
2. Distress signal. If the child texts or calls and uses the code word in a sentence, that means "I am uncomfortable and I want to leave right now." The parent calls and provides a reason to come home immediately — no questions asked.
3. Reassurance signal. Some families use a second code word that means "I'm safe, even if it doesn't look like it."

Change the code word once a year, after any sleepover where it was shared with a friend, or after any incident.

Walking to school & the bus stop

• Walk the route with your child at least once before they walk it alone. Identify safe houses, businesses with adults present, and any blind alleys, ditches, or fields to avoid.
• Encourage children to walk in groups. A predator is far less likely to approach two or three children together.
• Teach them to walk on the side of the street facing oncoming traffic.
• If a vehicle pulls over and someone tries to talk to them, the rule is: run away in the direction opposite to the vehicle — that buys time, because the vehicle has to turn around.
• Practice yelling "This is not my parent!" or "I don't know you!" if anyone grabs them. Strangers ignore a child throwing a tantrum, but they respond to a child shouting that they are being abducted.

Online & social media

Most child-exploitation cases the Sheriff's Office investigates begin online — on social-media direct messages, gaming voice chat, or app-based platforms with private messaging. The internet is where children are most vulnerable today.

For a full guide on online safety for the whole family, see our Online & Cyber Safety page. The headline rules for children specifically:

• The phone, tablet, and computer come out of the bedroom at night — they charge in the kitchen or in your bedroom, never in the child's.
• All social-media and gaming accounts are set to "friends only" — never public.
• Location services are off for every app except the family-locator and emergency services.
• Webcams have a physical cover (a sliding shutter or piece of tape) when not in use.
• Set up "Screen Time" (iOS) or "Family Link" (Android) parental controls. They are free and effective.
• Tell children: If anyone asks you for a picture of any part of your body, come to me right away — you are not in trouble. Predators rely on shame to keep children from telling their parents.

Recognizing grooming behavior

"Grooming" is the process by which an offender slowly builds trust with a child (and the family) in order to gain access. It is rarely an immediate red flag — it can take weeks or months. Watch for adults who:

• Pay disproportionate attention to one specific child — gifts, special privileges, "favorite" status.
• Volunteer for opportunities to be alone with children (one-on-one tutoring, sleepovers at their home, transportation, overnight trips).
• Push for physical contact: tickling, lap-sitting, wrestling, back rubs.
• Communicate with the child privately — text messages, social-media DMs, gaming chat — outside of group settings.
• Insist on photos of the child, or have a camera with them in private settings.
• Encourage the child to keep a "special friendship" secret from parents.
• Are vague when you ask what they did together.

If a child goes missing

There is no waiting period. Texas law (and federal law) does not require any waiting period before reporting a missing child. The first hours are the most critical.

Immediately

1. Call 911 if you believe the child is in immediate danger. Otherwise call (512) 398-1800.
2. Search the immediate area — the child's bedroom, closets, the yard, the neighbors' houses — but do not delay reporting to do this. Two adults can search while a third calls.
3. Have a recent photo ready (within the last 6 months for younger children, the last year for teens).
4. Have ready: height, weight, eye color, hair color, distinguishing marks, what clothes they were last seen wearing, any phone or device with them, and any vehicles they may have access to.
5. Do not delete texts, voicemails, social-media accounts, or browser history on the child's devices. Those are evidence.

While waiting for deputies

• Call the parents of the child's closest friends.
• Check the child's social-media DMs and recent contacts if you have access.
• Drive the routes the child commonly walks — to school, to the convenience store, to friends' houses — but stay reachable by phone.
• Post a recent photo on the family's social media only after talking with investigators. In some cases an early public post can prompt the abductor to move further away.

AMBER Alerts & Texas resources

The Texas AMBER Alert system is activated for child abductions that meet specific criteria: the child is 17 years of age or younger, there is reason to believe the abduction is a non-family event, the child is in immediate danger, and there is enough descriptive information to act on.

• Texas DPS AMBER Alert Network — official page and activation criteria.
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) — 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) — available 24/7. NCMEC provides photo-distribution and family support free of charge.
• Texas Center for the Missing — Houston-based nonprofit that coordinates statewide search resources.

Texas Public Sex Offender Registry

The Texas Public Sex Offender Registry is a free, searchable database that allows any resident to look up registered offenders in their zip code, neighborhood, or near a specific address (such as a child's school).

Search the Texas Sex Offender Registry →

The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office is responsible for verifying registration compliance for offenders living in unincorporated areas of the county. To report a registered offender who appears to be living in violation of their registration, call (512) 398-1800.

School Resource Officers

Sworn deputies are assigned to school campuses across the county as School Resource Officers (SROs). SROs are not just security — they teach safety classes, build relationships with students, and are the first call for any campus-related concern.

To reach an SRO, contact the school's front office during school hours. For after-hours concerns about a child or a school, call the Sheriff's non-emergency line at (512) 398-1800.

Car-seat safety

Texas law requires every child under age 8 (or shorter than 4 feet 9 inches) to ride in an approved child safety seat. The seat must be appropriate for the child's age, weight, and height, and must be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions.

• Rear-facing: birth to age 2 (or until the child outgrows the rear-facing height/weight limit).
• Forward-facing harness: ages 2-5.
• Booster seat: ages 5-8 (or until 4'9").
• Seat belt: when the child can sit with their back against the seat back, knees bent over the seat edge, the lap belt across the upper thighs (not the stomach), and the shoulder belt across the collarbone (not the neck).

Free car-seat inspections are offered by Texas DPS-certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. Check the Safe Kids inspection locator for upcoming events in our region.

Pool, lake & stock-tank safety

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 in Texas. With private pools, stock tanks, and our proximity to the San Marcos River and Plum Creek, Caldwell County families need to be especially careful.

• Active supervision. An adult should have eyes on the water at all times — not reading, not on a phone. Rotate "Water Watcher" duty every 15-20 minutes.
• Four-sided pool fencing. A four-foot fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate should separate the pool from the house. A fence that uses the house as one of the four sides defeats the purpose.
• Stock tanks & ponds. Fence them off if there are young children on the property. Small children fall in head-first and cannot self-rescue.
• Learn to swim. Swim lessons reduce a child's drowning risk by up to 88 percent. Free or low-cost lessons are offered seasonally at the Lockhart City Pool, the Luling City Pool, and the YMCA.
• Learn CPR. The American Red Cross and the Caldwell County EMS offer CPR classes throughout the year.

Child ID kits

A Child ID kit is a small folder or envelope containing critical information that investigators can use immediately if a child goes missing. Make one for each child and update it annually around their birthday.

Include

• Recent color photograph (full-face, no sunglasses)
• Fingerprints (the Sheriff's Office can take these at scheduled "Kids ID" events — watch the Facebook page for announcements)
• DNA sample — a cotton swab from inside the cheek, sealed in a clean paper envelope
• Detailed physical description: height, weight, eye color, hair color, scars, birthmarks, dental work, glasses, allergies
• Medical information: blood type, current medications, conditions
• School name, teacher, grade, bus number
• Best friends & their parents' contact information

Store the kit somewhere you can grab it in a hurry — a small fireproof box, the same place you keep birth certificates and passports.