Program emphasizes child safety.

Byline: REBECCA NOLAN The Register-Guard

Most parents tell their children not to talk to strangers, but when 75 percent of crimes against children are committed by someone they know, how useful is the advice?

Not very, says Escape School instructor T.J. Browning, who will lead an hourlong child safety lesson at Madison Middle School on Tuesday.

When it comes to preventing abduction, Browning can think of three better mantras:

Be smart, not scared.

Strangers are not always dangerous.

Parents are the best teachers.

"This is not a stranger-danger program," Browning said of Escape School, created in 1997 by former San Francisco police officer Bob Stuber. "We focus on behavior. We teach kids how to recognize situations and behavior that's dangerous to them and how to respond."

Stuber started Escape School after his partner's daughter, Amber Schwartz, was kidnapped in a crime that remains unsolved. His common-sense tips and empowerment techniques for children have been featured on numerous television programs, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and America's Most Wanted.

With funding from the Dignity Memorial chain of funeral homes, Stuber has trained more than 80 instructors across the United States and Canada who provide free classes and materials to schools, Scouting groups and other organizations.

Eugene police crime prevention specialist Margaret Mazzotta brought the program to town after seeing Portland-based Browning give an Escape School presentation at a law enforcement conference about a year ago.

Mazzotta liked the program because it teaches kids simple skills without scaring them. They learn things like the importance of a family code word; that you don't need money to call 911 from a pay phone; and that in an emergency the rules change - you can knock over a stack of cans at the grocery store to get people's attention if someone's trying to kidnap you.

Escape School is not a self-defense class, since children don't have much chance of overpowering an adult attacker. Instead, Browning says, children must have confidence in their ability to recognize and avoid dangerous situations.

Of the 125,000 abduction attempts each year, 120,000 fail either because the child takes action or someone intercedes on their behalf, Browning said.

On Tuesday, Browning will show children how to get help, how to break a hold when an adult grabs them, how to get away when they're being followed, and how to recognize common lures used by kidnappers - lures that change with the age and sex of a child.

Because Escape School emphasizes the child's responsibility for their own safety, sometimes parents don't like what Browning and other instructors have to say.

"It rattles some parents, but we're not with them 24 hours a day," Browning said. "You need to start at a very early age, telling them, your personal safety is your responsibility and I'll help you."

Escape School teaches parents what to do when their child is missing and how to recognize "teachable moments" when valuable safety lessons, minus the paranoia, can be passed on to children.

"Parents shouldn't pass their fear on to children," Browning said. "We don't want to focus on frightening them. We want to teach them about good and bad decisions, and how to trust their instincts."

ESCAPE SCHOOL

Who: Children ages 5 to 15 and their parents

Where: Madison Middle School, 875 Wilkes Drive, Eugene

When: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday

How: Free tickets are available at many Eugene schools and at the lobby of the Eugene Police Department.

Call: Margaret Mazzotta, Eugene police crime prevention specialist, for more information at 682-5189.