12/08/2026
PARENTS: Predators aren't always creepy old men.
After 18 years in law enforcement and 15 years working in schools, I wish more parents understood this:
A predator can be young.
A predator can be attractive.
A predator can be popular.
A predator can even be another kid.
I've seen high school students prey on middle school students.
I've seen kids ignore obvious red flags because the person was cute, popular, funny, or "only a few years older."
Cute doesn't mean safe.
Popular doesn't mean safe.
Young doesn't mean safe.
Trusted doesn't automatically mean safe.
And we need to talk about trusted adults too.
Teachers. Coaches. Youth leaders. Church volunteers. Police officers. Family friends.
Anyone given special access to children should be held to a HIGHER standard, not a lower one because "we know them."
And here's a conversation parents of older teenagers sometimes forget:
If your kid is 18, they need to understand boundaries with younger teens too.
Who are you texting?
Who are you Snapchatting?
Why are you talking privately with a 14 or 15 year old?
Are sexual messages or pictures being exchanged?
That conversation might protect a younger kid.
It might also keep your own kid from making a decision that follows them for the rest of their life.
Stop teaching kids that predators look like predators.
Teach them to recognize behavior:
🚩 Secrecy
🚩 Sexual conversations
🚩 Asking for pictures
🚩 Gifts or special treatment
🚩 Moving conversations to disappearing message apps
🚩 "Don't tell your parents."
🚩 Relationships that don't make sense for the age difference
Predators don't come with warning labels.
That's why our kids need conversations.
Happy Parenting,
Officer Gomez
