Police say that an “attempted abduction” Wednesday was nothing more than a man’s poor attempt at flirting.
By Jessica Scarpati ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER Posted May 15, 2008 @ 02:58 AM
RAYNHAM — Parents got a scare early Wednesday when schools told them a man allegedly tried to “lure” women into his car, but police later backed off the story. Police reportedly identified the man and ruled it as a poor attempt at flirting — not a public safety threat. “There was no abduction and no attempted abduction,” said Police Capt. Richard Pacheco. “We didn’t know what we had at first. They were just taking precautions.” An alert from school principals went out to homes, offices, pagers and email in-boxes to parents in the 6,000-student regional district Wednesday afternoon, with one message from the high school headlined, “Attempted Abduction.” Before police determined there was no public safety threat, school officials said they cancelled outdoor activities, held walkers and reviewed safety with students in classrooms. Police said a man approached two separate women in their 20s on North Main Street, near Coletti’s Market. But he did not attempt any crime, police said. “He was trying to strike up a conversation, and they were a little nervous,” Pacheco said. “We found it more than a coincidence that both women were annoyed enough to call us.” The two alleged incidents took place within minutes of each other, about 12:30 p.m., Pacheco said. The man allegedly asked the women for their phone numbers. “He probably just was someone looking to meet women,” Pacheco said. Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District Superintendent George Guasconi said police advised him to take no chances early in the day. “Safety — it’s a basic determination we have to make,” he said. “It was done based on the recommendation (from police).” Guasconi penned a message for principals to use to notify parents via the Instant Alert system. The system operates like a reverse 911, allowing the schools to issue alerts via phone, e-mail and pager to families who opt into the service. Bridgewater parent Kerry Campbell, whose children attend Mitchell Elementary School, said she was grateful the schools kept her in the loop. “I would always prefer more information,” said Campbell, who did not receive the messages until later in the day, after the possible threat had passed. “Even if it ended up being nothing, it would be fine with me,” she said. “I like that they used it as a learning opportunity (to review safety).” If other parents reacted differently and felt they were scared for no reason, Guasconi said he stood by his decision. He said he did not feel the district reacted prematurely. “If their student happens to be one who goes home in the afternoon and is there by themselves and if the Raynham police had not been able to identify the person, we’d want parents to be aware,” he said. The superintendent said he was unsure how many families received the first notice shortly after 12:30 p.m. He sent a second alert at 2:20 p.m., telling parents that police had identified the man and decided he was not a threat.
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops