San Mateo Adult School: Adult School Safety Alert

Recently, there were 2 different events on our block. These events remind us we need to be safe.

1 event happened by the San Mateo High School. A suspect has been arrested.

This is a sketch of the person they are looking for.

Another event happened by the Adult School. Here is a sketch of the person they are looking for from the Adult School event.

Here is information about the event.

If you see the person they are looking for or if someone threatens your safety, call the police and tell a school staff member.

UPDATED SMPD COMMUNITY AND MEDIA ALERT

SMPD Has Completed a Forensic Sketch of Suspicious Person from San Mateo Adult School Incident

The investigation of the previously reported suspicious incident at the San Mateo Adult School is continuing and as a result, SMPD Detectives have prepared a forensic sketch of the male involved in that case. We also continue to work collaboratively with the San Mateo Union High School District and the San Mateo Foster City School District as the investigation progresses to further safeguard our schoolchildren and school faculty. Anyone with information that they believe may assist in this case should contact the San Mateo Police Department Investigations Bureau, 650-522-7650. They may also contact us anonymously by voicemail, 650-522-7676 or text message, 650-262-3473.

TO REVIEW:
On Thursday, November 13^th, at about 6:15 PM, at the San Mateo Adult School located at 789 East Poplar Avenue, a 19-year-old female student stepped outside to the parking lot to take a break. A male in a nearby parked vehicle exited the car and approached her. He greeted her and complimented her on her appearance. She ignored the male and he then offered her money to leave with him. She ignored him again and he repeated his request. The female continued to ignore him and walked back to the school, reporting the incident about two hours later.

The male is described as a Filipino or Asian adult male, about 30 years old, medium build, with short maybe even spiked hair on top and unshaven. His vehicle is described as a dark blue or black foreign sedan. SMPD does not believe that the male arrested on November 14^th for similar behavior at San Mateo High School is involved in this incident.

Again, we encourage everyone to take this time to talk to children, teenagers, and young adults alike about the steps they can take to keep themselves safe when contacted by strangers. We would especially like to emphasize the importance of timely reporting in cases such as this which allows us to quickly and effectively respond to these incidents in our efforts to locate the suspect or suspects.

FOR PARENTS OR GUARDIANS

Now would be an excellent time to review with the children or young adults in your life how to protect themselves during incidents like these. For those discussions, we offer the following safety tips:

· Look, listen, stay safe. Be aware of your surroundings when walking in public. Avoid distractions while walking such as books or electronics.

· Whenever possible use the buddy system. Urge your children to walk with a friend or friends. There’s safety in numbers.

· Watch out for strangers in cars. Watch for cars that follow you. NEVER approach a stranger in a car for ANY reason.

· If a stranger talks to you from a car or asks a question, ignore them, and walk or even run away.

· Yell and Tell. If a stranger makes you uncomfortable or scares you, YELL and run away. Find someone you trust and TELL them what happened.

· Trust your instincts. Only you get to decide when you’re uncomfortable or scared. Don’t be afraid to tell a stranger “No”, ignore them, or just run away!

MORE RESOURCES

National Crime Prevention Council: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/violent-crime-and-personal-safety/strangers

Kid Power: http://www.kidpower.org/stranger-safety/