HOUSTON – It's supposed to be a routine trip to the grocery store, but in between grabbing a bag of chips and filling up the cart, your child goes missing.
"I would freak out. I wouldn't know what to do," said mother Samantha Longoria.
Unfortunately, it happens quite frequently. That's why Kroger is one company that participates in a 20-year-old child safety program called Code Adam. If a parent realizes their child is missing, he or she can inform a store employee. The store immediately goes on lockdown and all employees begin searching for the missing child.
"If there is an opportunity where the child is removed from the store or facility, then that makes it even more difficult to relocate the child," said Nichole Christoph of Crime Stoppers.
Tuesday morning Crime Stoppers teamed with Kroger stores across Houston to practice Code Adam. A piece of paper representing a child was hidden at the Kroger at 1440 Studemont Street. Once a call came over the loudspeaker that a child was missing, employees set out in search of that paper. One employee found the paper in just a couple minutes. In a real situation, if a child is not found within 10 minutes, the store calls 911.
Even for parents who teach their children to stay close, they say it's reassuring to know store employees will know what action to take if their child goes missing.
"We just talk about staying in the cart and staying close to mommy, but at ages 2 and 4 they don't always necessarily listen to that," said mother Jessica Lange.
Other facilities that use Code Adam include museums, hospitals, amusement parks and malls.