Code Adam

(MOBILE, Ala.) December 20 -- Many shoppers are flooding the stores with their kids in tow, but that could be a problem. It only take a second for a predator to snatch them. That's why some stores around Mobile have the Code Adam system in place.

Academy Sports and Outdoors is one of them. Employee Angela Harris says she and her colleagues have used the system a few times this holiday season. "I think it was Sunday that we had a little girl that wandered away from her mother and we ended up finding her on the bicycle aisle."

Code Adam is named after Adam Walsh, the six-year old, who was abducted from a Florida Mall in 1981. He was ultimately murdered. His father, John Walsh, now hosts Americas Most Wanted. The system is simple -- once a parent reports a child missing, an code adam alert is announced over the store's PA system.


More: http://www.wpmi.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=CC7F0317-D996-40D4-9DBD-DA433A62939E

PrayersForMaura said:

(MOBILE, Ala.) December 20 -- Many shoppers are flooding the stores with their kids in tow, but that could be a problem. It only take a second for a predator to snatch them. That's why some stores around Mobile have the Code Adam system in place.

Academy Sports and Outdoors is one of them. Employee Angela Harris says she and her colleagues have used the system a few times this holiday season. "I think it was Sunday that we had a little girl that wandered away from her mother and we ended up finding her on the bicycle aisle."

Code Adam is named after Adam Walsh, the six-year old, who was abducted from a Florida Mall in 1981. He was ultimately murdered. His father, John Walsh, now hosts Americas Most Wanted. The system is simple -- once a parent reports a child missing, an code adam alert is announced over the store's PA system.


More: http://www.wpmi.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=CC7F0317-D996-40D4-9DBD-DA433A62939E

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I have been to the store when they have called a code adam, it was a few years ago, everything turned out fine...

I was at our local Kmart one time when they announced a code Adam. Employees immediately ran to lock to doors so no one could leave. I was surprised, first because I'd never heard of a code Adam, although it wasn't difficult to figure out what it meant, and second, because I'd never seen employees at our Kmart move at a pace faster than a shuffle before.

My brother had an incident when my neice was 3. He refused to buy her a Barbie she wanted and she threw a fit. He picked her up and was taking her out of the store screaming at the top of her lungs. Two women cornered him before he got to the door questioning him. My brother has dark skin, dark hair and his biker gear on. His daughter is a green eyed blond, all dressed in a lacy dress, patent shoes, they don't even look related at first glance! He asked his daughter, "who am I?" of course she said "Daddy!" He said he was Pssd at first, then he thanked the women, (who he said were just about ready to take him down to keep him from getting out of the mall, LOL), because if someone WAS abducting her he'd want someone to step in and help her. They all had a good laugh when he explained she was his only "very spoiled" baby and she was not getting another Barbie.

SadieMae said:

My brother had an incident when my neice was 3. He refused to buy her a Barbie she wanted and she threw a fit. He picked her up and was taking her out of the store screaming at the top of her lungs. Two women cornered him before he got to the door questioning him. My brother has dark skin, dark hair and his biker gear on. His daughter is a green eyed blond, all dressed in a lacy dress, patent shoes, they don't even look related at first glance! He asked his daughter, "who am I?" of course she said "Daddy!" He said he was Pssd at first, then he thanked the women, (who he said were just about ready to take him down to keep him from getting out of the mall, LOL), because if someone WAS abducting her he'd want someone to step in and help her. They all had a good laugh when he explained she was his only "very spoiled" baby and she was not getting another Barbie.

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Now that is a good story.Thank you for relating it to us. Hope springs eternal
and it is great to know in some places people rise to the occasion.

I was in a Walmart in small town Alberta a few years ago, my youngest was 4, and he wandered away. As I walked around calling his name, a store employee asked me what he looked like. As I searched the store, I overheard the store employees, passing his description along to other store employees. They had called "Code Adam". I didn't even know it until they called an end to the "Code Adam".

Cool, huh?They were more worried than I was! I was quite impressed. It's a great idea.

Code Adam is a wonderful tool that every store should participate in.

These are great stories, by the way!

SadieMae said:

My brother had an incident when my neice was 3. He refused to buy her a Barbie she wanted and she threw a fit. He picked her up and was taking her out of the store screaming at the top of her lungs. Two women cornered him before he got to the door questioning him. My brother has dark skin, dark hair and his biker gear on. His daughter is a green eyed blond, all dressed in a lacy dress, patent shoes, they don't even look related at first glance! He asked his daughter, "who am I?" of course she said "Daddy!" He said he was Pssd at first, then he thanked the women, (who he said were just about ready to take him down to keep him from getting out of the mall, LOL), because if someone WAS abducting her he'd want someone to step in and help her. They all had a good laugh when he explained she was his only "very spoiled" baby and she was not getting another Barbie.

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Thanks for sharing this story. It was great of the two ladies to corner him (just in case) but I understand his frustration over it.

We met some friends for dinner Friday night and my daughter was having such a good time that she threw a major fit when it was time to leave. We got her to the truck, but had the hardest time getting her strapped in her car seat. She was screaming so loud that I was afraid someone was going to think we were kidnapping this poor child.

I've heard mother's being paged in stores to come to the front for their children, but I've never heard the "Code Adam". I think it's great about the stores that use it, I wish all did.

People snatching children in stores has always been a big fear of mine. I rarely take my daughter to the store by myself for two reasons. She throws fits and I'm afraid someone will grab her. I hate to be that paranoid about it, but I am. Really the only times I take her to a store is when my husband or my parents are with me. I'm always scared of people that target mothers as they are putting their kids in their car seats. Better safe than sorry.

NewMom2003 said:

Thanks for sharing this story. It was great of the two ladies to corner him (just in case) but I understand his frustration over it.

We met some friends for dinner Friday night and my daughter was having such a good time that she threw a major fit when it was time to leave. We got her to the truck, but had the hardest time getting her strapped in her car seat. She was screaming so loud that I was afraid someone was going to think we were kidnapping this poor child.

I've heard mother's being paged in stores to come to the front for their children, but I've never heard the "Code Adam". I think it's great about the stores that use it, I wish all did.

People snatching children in stores has always been a big fear of mine. I rarely take my daughter to the store by myself for two reasons. She throws fits and I'm afraid someone will grab her. I hate to be that paranoid about it, but I am. Really the only times I take her to a store is when my husband or my parents are with me. I'm always scared of people that target mothers as they are putting their kids in their car seats. Better safe than sorry.

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I agree with you. I hate to be so cynical about others, but I believe it's better to be safe than to be sorry. And, I'm always afraid someone will come up behind me as I'm putting my son in his car seat. It's almost impossible for me to close the door and then buckle him in. My backseat is not very big, and his carseat is huge!

A few days ago, I was in a very small game shop in the mall. I was just about to walk out of the shop when a little girl that had just left the store with her parents came running back crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said she lost her mom. I told the game store employee, who notified someone to find the parents. I stood there with the child until the shop employee happened to recognize the girl's mom as she walked down the mall. The shop employee called the mom in, and she was surprised to see the child. It turns out that the mom thought that the girl was with the dad and the dad thought she was with the mom. Neither parent knew the child was lost. I was just glad that I was the one the girl found and not some weirdo. I have 2 girls myself. It scares me to think of all the things that can happen to kids these days. I'm thankful for Code Adam, but kids also need to know where and who to go to when they are lost.

When my boys were little guys, I told them if they ever got lost from me to go straight to the people at the cash registers because they can call me. Run to find one and don't talk to anyone until they got there, and tell them your name.

I was just at Best=Buy. And heard code Adam. I was amazed how soon the doors were locked until the child was found. No one could enter or leave till they were giving back to the parents.