By Larry Randa
         

In this day and age, it’s important for a high school student to have street smarts.
  
So says Sgt. Marge Kielczysnki juvenile officer for the La Grange, IL Police Department.
           
“Today’s kids are going to make mistakes,” the 28-year veteran of the La Grange and Elk Grove Village police forces said. “That’s OK as long they learn from their mistakes as well as their successes.”

Sgt. Kielczynski, a mother and grandmother herself, feels it’s important for a teen-ager to take the “how will it affect me” approach to life while learning survival skills that will help them stay out of trouble and grow into adulthood in a positive manner.

 Those survival skills revolve around three basic questions:

• What’s best for me?
• Is it mine? If not, don’t take it
• CAN (not WILL) anyone get hurt?

            The secret to survival, she says, is to stay away from situations that might cause trouble.
            Some suggestions:

Drinking alcohol
            Keep a variety of excuses available if you’re at a party where alcohol is begin served:

• I’m on medication.
• I’m on a sports team and have to watch it.
• I’m on a diet.
• Not tonight.
• Just simply, no thanks. (No works!)

            If you must drink alcohol, remember:

• Do not drink out of open containers.
• Do not put your drink down.
• Never accept a drink that someone else prepared for you.
• Be aware that drugs can easily be added to anyone’s drink.

Attending parties
            If you want to leave without embarrassment, try one of these “excuses”:

• Make your cell phone ring and pretend to answer it
• Say mom needs me to come home
• Blame a problem in your family.
• Say “I’ll be back.”

Shopping
          Danger lurks at the mall.

• Stay away from parking lot “deals.”
• Don’t fill out surveys. They ask for all sorts of information that could lead to identity theft.
• Don’t go to other cars in the parking lot.
• Take care of your credit card. Identity theft is big these days.

Traveling

• Know how to get there before you leave.
• Know how to get help if your car breaks down.
• Never split up if you’re with another person.

Using the Internet

• Protect personal information
• Meeting someone in person who you met on-line is usually disappointing
  at the least and dangerous at worst.
• Never accept anything, including tickets for a trip somewhere, from someone you met on the Internet.

Guns at a friend’s house

• Know that it’s time to go whenever someone brings out a gun to show it off.
• Do not attempt to take the gun.
• Do not attempt to have the gun put down by grabbing the person with it.
• On the way out, tell others they should leave too.
• On the way out, tell an adult about the gun.

Traffic stops

• If it’s at night, turn on the car’s interior lights so the police officer can see better.
• Don’t make any sudden moves.
• Listen to the officer before talking.
• Ask polite questions. Don’t yell or scream.
• Find out your options