Court TV Host: We're going to be joined by Marc Klaas to talk about protecting your kids. Marc Klaas's daughter, Polly, was abducted and killed, and he's been on a crusade to help protect other kids. Many of you might have seen his "Taking A Stand" commentary on Court TV.

Court TV Host: Mr. Klaas is here...Welcome.

Marc Klaas: Thank you very much for giving me an opportunity to speak to your audience today, and hopefully we can leave here with more knowledge than we came into it with.

big_red060: Can I hear Marc Klaas's storey

Marc Klaas: Let me say that I will certainly offer my story. There are really no taboo issues or subjects as far as this conversation goes. On the evening of October 1, 1993, my 12 year old daughter Polly was kidnapped from a slumber party at about 10:30 in the evening. For the next 65 days we frantically searched for Polly and worked for her safe return as an interest and momentum grew regarding her situation on a national level. We were informed that Polly had been stolen, raped and murdered by a repeat violent offender on the evening that she was kidnapped. Thus began my journey to give meaning to her death and create a legacy in her name that would prevent future tragedies for other innocent children.

flong1127: God, how did you cope with this whole thing? It must be so overwhelming. What would you tell me, a mom of twins? What's the most important thing to watch for?

Marc Klaas: Well, lets talk about the coping first. I'm in Connecticut, and last night I had dinner with Judith Maisel. When Judith as a 13 year old girl in Lithuania, Nazi storm troopers entered her village, murdered 146 of her relatives and sent her to a concentration camp. Like Mrs. Maisel, I get up in the morning, and try to look forward, to do something good for myself and to try to build on my child's legacy. Now, for the mother of the twins, the best insurance we have against our children becoming involved in the criminal justice system as either perpetrators or victims is a constant message of love. That is communicated through nurturing and character-building that will give them the self-esteem they need to succeed in life and make the right choices.

losmun: If a man can enter a home with other children present, without drawing too much attention to himself, what can we do to protect ourselves from these types of predators?

Marc Klaas: There are many ways to answer that question. Number one, we should be aware of the individuals in our neighborhoods. We should know our neighborhoods. We should know the people in our neighborhoods. We should work with each to organize neighborhood watch programs that make us aware of suspicious individuals and activities so that we may report them to law enforcement and so that they can use this information to proactively protect us. Number two, we should ensure that those individuals who we elect to represent us in federal and state legislatures make public safety a top priority. They should not get caught in the trap that is a turnstile system of justice that regurgitates the same offenders back into society time and time again.

erica_19762: Hello, I'd like to start out with my prayers for you and all you have overcome to still be here and functioning after such a tragedy. We live in a sick world, how can someone hurt a child? I just can't imagine what I would do if something happened to my kids. They live in fear of strangers and bad people, and that's no way to have to raise a child.

Marc Klaas: Let's start with the idea of strangers. We have to understand that most children who are victimized, are victimized by somebody that they know. And that children want the information that they can use to protect themselves from harm.

erica_19762: How can I keep my babies safe? I don't even want to send them to school with all the shootings and all that. I do everything I know humanly possible to keep them safe. I just hope there isn't one thing I'm missing in there.

Marc Klaas: I would like to talk about five non-threatening tips. Knowledge is power on this and any other issue. The better knowledge we have, the better we can protect ourselves. Five safety tips that children can use as guideposts in their early lives:
Number 1. Always check with your parents first.
Number 2. Always be outside with at least 1 other person.
Because we all know there is strength in numbers.
Number 3. Trust your feelings.
Number 4. If something feels bad, it probably is. And, you should put physical distance between you and whatever that may be.
Finally, there are certain kinds of strangers that can help a child out of a dangerous situation. Women. Moms with kids. Sometimes other kids. Police officers in uniforms. And in a retail situation, store clerks or security guards.

luckyone997: My 3 1/2 year old thinks a stranger is someone dressed in black. How do you get across to kids that strangers can look like a grandma?

Marc Klaas: Again. The issue is not about strangers. The issue is about who is going to hurt the child and what kinds of messages are we sending to our children. Not allowing our children to talk to strangers shuts down their world and limits their ability to expand their horizons. We tell our children not to talk to strangers and then talk to somebody in front of us in the grocery line that we've never met before. So, the issue is really about developing the right set of tools to avoid compromising situations, whoever or whatever may be compromising that situation. I hope that answers that.

recovering_rose: Mr. Klaas, this is a comment not a question. I want you to know I have seen you on many talk shows and I have great respect for you, and although I do not know you, or what you have truly endured, know that I am sorry for your loss.

Marc Klaas: That's very kind. I'd like to thank that person and point out that I'm simply a father, and I'm trying to prevent other children from enduring the tragedy that my child endured.

etnie97801: What happened to the perpetrator that murdered Polly?

Marc Klaas: Polly's killer currently resides on California's death row. And although it has been 5 years since his conviction, he is yet to be assigned an appeals attorney.

luckyone997: Excellent points! Thank you and my heart goes out to you!

Marc Klaas: Thank you.

d_arner2000: Marc, sorry about your daughter. My prayers are with you. On the Aisenberg case I think you may be mistaken and being a little harsh on them, my friend..

Marc Klaas: I may be incorrect on my assumptions regarding the Aisenberg case, but they behave much more like people interested in protecting their own interests than parents concerned about the recovery of their missing child.

bobbylovesblue: As a student in high school, I feel a breach to my safety due to events taken place in recent years -- my school doesn't do much to stop other kids from bringing guns. We have metal detectors, we seldom use them. What can *I* do to protect myself and my friends, if my school seems to not care at all?

Marc Klaas: Wow. That's a fabulous question. I understand the issues of peer pressure, and I understand that no one wants to be looked upon or considered a snitch. But if you are aware that someone in your school is either talking about or planning violence against others in the school to inform the relevant authorities about that action is heroic. And to fail to do so would make you complicit in the act of violence.

youhadme_athello73: I live in Texas, in a small town where I thought everybody should know one another, THEY DON'T. We live by the Texas motor speedway where there are a lot of strange people around here -- how then can I teach a child to watch out for without asking him to look over his shoulder?

youhadme_athello73: And furthermore we live in a neighborhood where most folks don't speak or look the other direction. Our family tried the neighborhood watch thing, and nobody showed up to the meeting.

Marc Klaas: Well, I think again it then comes back to the family unit and being responsible for each other and giving your child the tools make good choices. And knowing your neighborhood and showing your children safe places to play and areas to avoid like alleys and dark stairwells. Whether or not your neighbors are responsive, the more you know about your neighborhood will help determine how safe your family will be.

lb_037t: Do you feel crime stems from the entertainment industry?

Marc Klaas: Popular culture is certainly one of the things that influences crime in America but so are many other factors. Demographics, for example. The perpetrators of crime tend to be young men between the ages of 18 and 25 years old. Drug use is another important factor. Just look at how crime rates spiked during the crack epidemic of the early nineties. Another determining factor is our response as a society to criminal activity We are the society that made a hero out of Hannibal Lecter. We are fed a constant diet of violence in both entertainment and news. We are the society that has taught our children that violence is a viable answer and response to issues.

Court TV Host: As for talking to your kids, the five-points you mentioned earlier...here's a follow-up.

erica_19762: How young is too young to tell kids about such terrible things and people?

Marc Klaas: If one is going to talk about the five points, it doesn't have to be in terms of fear. Fear-inducing strategies will only beget more fear. We have to look at knowledge in terms of empowering our children to make correct choices. So that violence does not become an issue in their lives.

krazzyj3934: Recently, a little girl was murdered in my city (Elizabeth Byrd). She was walking to school alone in the morning and she never got to school. Now, I am a mother and this worries me that my child can be walking two blocks to school.

fun2_me: How do I know if my boy is okay coming home from scool

Marc Klaas: This should be simple, if we're talking about a journey of 2 blocks. That child should be accompanied, if at all possible, by a parent on that journey. Otherwise, that journey should be made with a group of other children. Should a child make that journey by themselves? No.

KRT_bird: I'm glad to get a chance to tell you how sorry I feel about Polly. She was a beautiful child. On a similar subject: do you think there was an intruder inside the Ramsey house the night their daughter was killed?

Marc Klaas: I don't believe there was an intruder inside the Ramsey house that evening I believe the evidence as we know it is pretty clear-cut. The only logical explanation for that ransom note is if it came from within the household itself.

erica_19762: I told my son if anyone was to ever grab him in a store to fight! Don't give up, scream kick, bite, yell "This is not my daddy!" -- anything to escape, if it means driving the guy off the road in his car. What do you think?

Marc Klaas: I agree. And to embellish that, children should avoid ever having to get in that car with every tool they have in their possession. Even if it means pulling a button off of their shirt or blouse and dropping it in the ignition where the key would go.

erica_19762: What laws do you think would help?

Marc Klaas: Longer sentences for individuals who commit harm against children. Right now the average sentence for a child molester in America is only 2.9 years per conviction. Then another law would be a 2 strike law for felony child-abusers. Wherein a second conviction would result in a life-sentence. This addresses the issues of false accusation and repeated patterns of behavior. Thirdly, standardization and greater access to Megan's Law information. But to think that we can cure crime by simply being harsher on offenders or building more prisons is like saying we can cure AIDS by building more cemeteries. The real solution to a crime-free society is targeting prevention programs towards at-risk youth so that today's children don't become tomorrow's criminals.

Court TV Host: We're going to have to wrap things up....any closing thoughts?

Marc Klaas: I appreciate every one giving me a few moments of their time to talk about this very important issue. By working together we can ensure that the world our children inherit from us is safer and more secure than the world we inherited from our parents. Thank you very much.

Court TV Host: If you have any other questions, or want more information, you can take a look at the Klaas Foundation website at www.klasskids.org

Marc Klaas: We do have an email address on that site -- you can contact us though that.