Today we’re talking about Preston Lord and our ever-increasing sense of loss.
It has been over six months…
Over six months have passed since a family lost one of their greatest treasures, friends lost their teammate, and a community lost their sense of security and safety.
To say we have all been keeping our kids a little closer lately is probably an understatement. I continue to put myself in the Lord family’s shoes and mourn deeply with them over the loss of their beloved son. This all happened too close to home and could have easily been my child instead. As a mom of teenagers in Queen Creek I have been not only more watchful of where and who my kids are with, I have lost trust in the safety I once believed my kids had.
Let’s be honest, this fear just keeps growing week-by-week as we hear of more children who have been assaulted – and not just by this group of kids, but from the incessant bullying and fighting happening at their schools.
Short of not letting our kids even see the light of day, how can we feel like our kids are still safe?
I had the pleasure of speaking with Chief Brice of the Queen Creek Police Department (QCPD) to get some of our questions answered. I hope this information provides you with some peace and security once again, like it did me.
*Don’t miss our ways to support Preston Lord’s family and his legacy at the bottom of this post.
XO,
Amanda
A message from Chief Brice to all the mothers in our community:
As your Chief of Police and as a parent, I hear you and your concerns. We condemn all violence, especially involving our youth. We remain committed to ensuring teen safety and to the overall safety of this community that we love serving each and every day. At the same time, we need to continue to have open and honest conversations with our youth. And, we need to make sure that information is being communicated to all stakeholders in an open and timely manner.
What do you recommend parents do to keep their kids safe and aware?
Social gatherings are a natural occurrence for teens, and they need to know how to keep themselves safe. Communication is the key. Our teens should be encouraged to leave situations that feel unsafe or dangerous, and to speak up and tell the police or a trusted adult if they are witness to illegal behavior. Parents – talk to your children; be aware of your teens’ online activities and social media presence, know their friends, be aware of changes in behavior or mood, talk to them on what to do if they witness a crime, and if there is an active incident call 9-1-1.
What has the QCPD put in place to aid in the concerns over safety for our kids?
Community safety and security are top priorities for the department. Extra patrols continue to be deployed in common areas where teens are known to congregate, we are utilizing resource officers in all district high schools, and we continue to build critical community connections. Our overall crime mitigation plan also provides a robust data driven program designed to identify areas of concern and work proactively with community partners to solve problems and ensure a safe environment. However, no community is immune to violence, and we cannot police our way out of every potential problem. We need to continue to have conversations on ways to prevent crime, and we must work together to find and implement solutions.
The Town has committed to ensuring that the department is properly equipped and staffed for the expansive growth and activity impacting our community. As such, we continue to add personnel and develop specific teams focused on teen safety.
Any suggestions for online safety? We are aware some of the attacks have incurred harassment from other teens through social media.
Protecting youth and preventing violence requires communication and action. We must understand and address the factors that put people at risk for or protect them from violence. Some of the more common strategies include:
- Promoting healthy family environments
- Provide quality education
- Strengthen youth’s skills
- Connect youth to caring adults and activities
- Create protective community environments (i.e. modify physical/social environments and reduce exposure to potential risks)
- Intervene to reduce risk (all partners/stakeholders)
For more information go to https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/fastfact.html
As far as online safety is concerned, it is the same. It is all about communication and action. The “SMART” guide is a great place to start:
- Set-up: Devices, accounts, password, etc.
- Monitor: Online use and connections
- Approve: All apps, games, sites, etc.
- Restrict: Content/permissions
- Talk: Start the conversation and continually check-in/teach
For more information visit https://www.icactaskforce.org/internetsafety
It is also important that teens understand their responsibility online. Discuss with your child the seriousness their words can have, this can include threats, bullying, and cyberbullying. If you say it, text, write it, snap it or post it on social media, threats can face serious consequences. Even if it was meant to be a joke, making a fake threat of violence is a crime.
Lastly, posting information on social media is not reporting to the police. We need teens and the public to report alleged crimes to the police so that they may be properly investigated.
Any last comments for our community:
We want to thank the community for continuing to show your support for Preston and his family, and for taking a stand against violence. We need everyone to be an “Upstander not a Bystander.”
Ways to Support Preston Lord’s Family and His Legacy
I also reached out to the Lord family (and those helping to run the Justice4PrestonLord pages) to not only tell them that we are in support of them but ask what are the best ways we can continue to show up for them.
Their request is that we show up in numbers at their events and especially as the court processes begin. They need supporters outside the building with Justice4PrestonLord signs.
By supporting the following businesses, you can also be supporting the Lord family. Check out the Justice4Preston site for additional details:
AZ 1912 Shirt Co.- Hoodies & T-Shirts
Say Anything Designs- T-shirts, Tank Tops, and Hats are $20 each and 25% is donated.
CVC Customs- 20 oz. Drink Tumbler with 50% being donated.
Bead Happy Jewelry- Bracelet Set
The Yard Stylist– $200 will be donated for every landscape installation from now until the end of 2024.
AZ Pool Concepts– $250-$300 for every new pool remodel/backyard makeover will be donated through the end of 2024. Make sure to tell them #STANDUP at the time of booking.
Titan Auto Body– $250 off your insurance deductible service, and $100 will be donated per vehicle.
Wild West Air and Heating– 10% of service, repair, or installations will be donated through the end of summer.
Here is a list of upcoming events:
Thursday, May 23rd
Be sure to follow the Justice4PrestonLord Instagram and Facebook pages. And for additional ways to support the family, see https://www.justice4prestonlord.com/get-involved
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