As mentioned in previous articles, summer weather brings more outside activities and contacts with other people. We must be safe in all that we do. The following are a few safety programs that I have scheduled for the summer months.
Neighborhood Watch: Anyone interested in starting a neighborhood watch should attend the meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 7 at 6 p.m. This meeting will be held at the Niles Law Enforcement Complex and is designed to give information to start a neighborhood watch. Ideally, one or two people from a neighborhood should attend. Bring a map of your area to assist with the planning.
Boating safety: To operate a watercraft in Michigan, the following laws apply: Persons born after Dec. 31, 1978 shall not operate a personal watercraft unless they obtain a boating safety certificate. The operators of a personal watercraft must carry their boating safety certificate and display it upon the demand of a peace officer.
I will have a boating safety class on Wednesday, July 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This class will be held at the Niles Law Enforcement Complex. This class is free and you are asked to bring your own lunch.
RadKids: Officer Kevin Kosten and I will host an eight-hour (5- to 7-year-olds) and 10-hour (8- to 12-year-olds) RadKids class at the Niles law Enforcement Complex July 18-22. The RadKids training is a self- empowerment class for the young people with lecture and physical activities. The class will be two hours each day for each age group. Call (269) 683-4411 (Tpr. Rob) or (269) 683-1313 (Officer Kevin) to sign up and get more information on the times.
Parent tip: Are the parents home? Are you sure? Love enough to ask. Adults have to maintain a careful balancing act with their kids. We must trust our kids while at the same time make sure that they have age appropriate privileges as well as limits. Your kids will know you care about them when you ask where they will be, who they will be with and what they will be doing. Do you love enough to ask?
Monitoring tips: Understand the need for young people to bond with their peers as they mature. They love spending time with their friends. Get to know their friends and their friends’ parents. Make it a practice to call friends’ parents before activities. Verify that an adult is present in the home prior to dropping off your child at a friend’s house. Make sure that the adult in the house has your contact information.
Sixty-one percent of Cass County high school youth believe their peers usually drink alcohol at a friend’s house.

E-mail questions to trooperrob53@yahoo.com.