These Days, Children Need an Escort : Rash of West Valley Molestations Is a Reminder That Kids Are Not Safe Alone

The 11-year-old girl was simply walking alone to school when she realized that she had forgotten her drill team whistle. A child at that age should not have to worry about anything more serious than that. But as she walked home alone to retrieve her whistle, she was shadowed by a man who fit the description of the San Fernando Valley’s serial child molester. Once safely in her Van Nuys home, she thought she could get back to school, but he appeared again suddenly as she made her trip. She had to fight him off twice before two passersby scared him off for good.

The incident last week was just one of several that apparently involved the same serial molester, a suspect who by Friday had harassed 32 young people in the San Fernando Valley. Friday’s incidents were among the most brazen of all, raising new concern among law enforcement and school authorities.

Said Commander John Moran of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Bureau: “He’s obviously obsessed with this type of behavior. His obsession has overcome any fear or publicity.”

And while new clues seemed to emerge by week’s end about the man’s car, clothing and demeanor, the suspect remained at large. Which is all the more reason for parents to be particularly cautious.

We know that the Valley is hardly immune to this type of crime. In October, for example, police arrested a suspect in the rapes of three Pacoima children. Two of the children were on their way to school. The attacks are another example, and it won’t end here. Some other perpetrator, at some other place and time, will add his or her own heinous variation to the theme.

The new attacks also throw cold water on the Los Angeles Police Department’s claim that the attacker would move on to another area because of heightened publicity. That was one reason police offered for not notifying the public sooner. Police also curtailed some heightened patrols around schools during Thanksgiving. Why weren’t they resumed immediately after the holiday?

We can’t expect the police to be everywhere at once, but we can help protect these children. That 11-year-old was alone. When a repeat offender is on the loose and when geographic area and time of the attacks have been established, parents and school officials must make every effort to see that their children are not alone when they go to school.

The first priority is to recruit adults who can escort children. Older children and teen-agers can fill the gaps.

The time to find out who in your neighborhood could fill such a role is now. Good organization in such cases could help save children from a scarring experience that may haunt them many years into the future.