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CNN Live Today

Interview With Bob Stuber

Aired August 14, 2002 - 13:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the case is just the latest in a string of child kidnappings this year. How can parents keep their children from becoming another statistic?
Joining us from San Diego is Bob Stuber. He is the founder of Escape School and the author of a book of the very same name.

Hi, Bob.

BOB STUBER, FOUNDER, ESCAPE SCHOOLS: Hi, Carol. How are you doing?

LIN: I'm doing great. And it's good to see you.

STUBER: You too.

LIN: You are exactly the kind of person that we need to talk to in times of crisis, because you actually work with very young children in teaching them, you know, how to mentally and physically deal with kidnapping if it could occur.

When you look at the Abilene, Texas situation, what can we learn from that situation? The mother was just 10 feet away from her baby.

STUBER: Yes, that's one of those real textbook scenarios, and it's kind of frightening. But in a situation like that, you have to realize, somebody, like the perpetrator in this case, is looking exactly for that opportunity. A mother with young children in tow, she's going to be preoccupied. All this person had to do was just cruise the parking lot, like she did, and wait.

Now, what you should be aware of, any parent should be aware of, is you cannot turn your back on your children for even 10 seconds. In a case like this, you have them with you, you put everything in the car. And if you have to put them in the car and then turn around to put a shopping cart or something up, lock those car doors. You're only be gone 10 seconds, but in 10 seconds these people that do this kind of thing, that's what they're looking for. They can strike in five seconds.

LIN: That is amazing. So what do you teach kids, then, about stranger danger? We always, you know, remember, oh, teach your kids, you know, don't talk to strangers.

STUBER: Yes. Well, one of the things is people have to get away from the stranger danger thing, because that really doesn't work. Kids don't understand that, and we just end up indicting anybody that's a stranger as a bad person. You need to start to teach them, most people in the world are good, but there are some that are dangerous, and spot them by their actions, not their appearance.

And then go the second mile, show the kids what they can do if they end up in an abduction situation, how they can get out of it. It's not good enough just to tell them how to avoid it. You need to tell them all of the little things they can do to attract attention or to get away from it, even once it's under way.

LIN: And some smart tips for kids if they are kidnapped...

STUBER: Absolutely.

LIN: ... what can they do to escape?

STUBER: Yes. One of the most important rules any parent can teach a child is as simple as open the door and get out of the car. You know, if you don't tell them that when that car quits moving, you can open the door and get out, they'll do what the bad guy says, and he'll say don't touch that door. So in essence, what you're doing is giving them permission to get out of the car.

And here's one tip I think every child should know. It has to do with the car, but it has to do with the back of a car. If you are in the trunk section of a car, which not an uncommon place to be, there are wires in the back of the car. All you have to do is pull the carpet down at the rear of the car, yank the taillight wires, and what that does is it disconnects the brake and taillights. So the police, then, would pull the car over, because it had no break or taillights, not because they knew you were in the trunk. But then they would find you, kicking and screaming, nobody would be able to hear that.

LIN: And that actually worked, right? Weren't you closely associated with a case just like that, where it saved a kid's life, because the taillight was busted...

STUBER: Yes, absolutely.

LIN: ... or it looked busted rather?

STUBER: We've had about three cases like that, and some other ones where, instead of, you know, panicking, they slowed down, they remembered this tip, they disconnected the wires. And just like, you know, we say, the cops saw it, they pulled the car over, and that's when they heard the person in the back.

There's a lot of little techniques that kids can do, and that's what I want to get across to the parents is, look, if you give your kids this information, they can understand it, it won't frighten them, and if the worst happens, they will at least have some choices to get out of that situation.

LIN: Right. What about -- Bob, what about going after the kidnapper him or herself? Would you recommend that the child attack him?

STUBER: Not really. That is a worst-case, last-ditch effort. I mean, there is a time at the very end of this thing where they may not have anything else that they can rely on. But it's not the smart thing to do, because first of all, the kid is not going to overpower this person, and this guy is expecting that. You're going to use your efforts much more wisely by taking advantage of one of these other choices.

For instance, a child could have an I.D. bracelet, and all you put on that I.D. bracelet is the word "reward" and your phone number. If somebody takes him, say they're driving down the street, they toss that I.D. bracelet out, somebody finds it, they call for the reward, you've just established the direction of flight. The cops know what direction this guy is headed in. That kind of tip would serve the child much better than trying to teach them how to fight this guy.

LIN: Bob, we're putting your escape tips back on the screen, but I also want to ask you, yelling and screaming only works in the beginning, right.

STUBER: Yes, that's what you do in the beginning if you can. You know, a lot of people don't realize, yelling and screaming is actually a learned behavior, and sometimes you're caught off guard or you're frightened, and you don't remember that. In the beginning, if you can use that tactic to attract attention, you want to do that. But once this thing gets under way, that's not going to help you very much. You have to rely on some other things.

LIN: Well, Bob, I have seen you work with kids, and you're really amazing with them, because even a kid as young as 5 or 6 years old looks and feels so empowered after they've taken your course. So I these are great tips, and I think it empowers parents to be proactive with their children and to talk about this.

STUBER: Exactly.

LIN: And you're giving them the tools to do just that. Thank you very much, Bob Stuber -- great to see you again.

STUBER: Thank you, Carol -- good to see you.

LIN: All right, we'll talk again soon.

STUBER: Bye-bye.

LIN: OK, some tips to take home with you.

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