Is it policy to print the name (last name, even!) of a minor in a situation like this? Patch--some common sense, please!

Might have been better to name the father, then mention his son was one of the boys approached and gave a description. ABC7 News should not have named him either.

It is good to read that these kids being approached lately aren't getting in these vehicles. We all need to be observant as to what's going on around us.

Good job on making the right decision boys!

When there are minor victims involved, releasing the family's name violates good journalistic sense. Caught up in the moment & with a TV camera in one's face, a parent could easily make a call that he or she might later regret on the minor victim's behalf, and the news media would do well to adhere to responsible policies that require the omission of identifying details. I don't find the parental consent to the interview any justification for including the name. ABC7 News goofed (should have scrambled the minor's face and not mentioned the last name--even the parent's last name could probably be used to track down the child, so that isn't any better). Patch isn't helping the situation by repeating that info, even if you aren't the 1st to disclose it. Plenty of people--including the suspect &/or other random weirdos--might see a print story re-telling these details, despite having missed the original broadcast story.

We should teach our kids how to deal with strangers as abduction issues have been coming up these days. As parents, we must take precautions to protect our child from stranger danger. So I thought of looking up for safety application that would do so and luckily I read an article with cool safety application that alerts you when your kid's in trouble and can even get escalated to the nearest 911 with just a click. Check this out: http://safekidzone.com/