LONGVIEW, Texas —
June is National Safety Month and the Longview Police Department is reminding parents of several safety hazards children could encounter when home from school during the summer.
The possibilities of what could go wrong may seem endless, but there are three things the LPD and Partners in Prevention are focusing on:
- Guns
- Prescription medicine
- Alcohol
Leaving a gun lying around your house can lead to consequences.
“We have had a couple of instances where children have gotten guns, and unfortunately terrible things have happened,” said LPD Public Information Officer Kristie Brian. “If you have a child that’s under 17, and they have access to them and something happens, then you can be charged.”
Brian recommends not only putting a lock on your gun, but also keeping it secure in a safe.
Another safety concern is prescription medication.
“That is more of a risk factor because kids are at home,” Whitney Pierce, with Partners and Prevention in Longview, said. “ They’re bored. That’s when kids tend to get into that use stages, because there is more peer pressure.”
Pierce recommends locking up medicine and keeping an inventory of the pills.
And just like a bottle of medication can slowly start to disappear without a parent noticing, so can a bottle of liquor.
“You don’t want to have that accessibility easy for teens to reach up and grab when they are bored,” Pierce said.
Not only is it illegal,but access to alcohol can lead to dehydration in the summer heat and interfere with a child's brain development.
If your child does happen to get a hold of prescription drugs, Partners in Prevention recommends calling 911, contacting poison control and having Naloxone handy.