The major issue has nothing to do with the officer talking to the kids. The problem? The cop wrote up a report. Neither the kids nor the parents were doing anything wrong, and yet they were treated like they were.
Here in Ontario, Canada my daughters have been spoken to by the provincial police a few times when, they are out and about. But these fine officers are only being friendly, and saying hi. Because these officers are wise enough to know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with kids being out and about on their own.
So take your badge endowed righteousness and go do your job. Which does not include harassing innocent children and their parents.
Also, stop the fear mongering. If you do not know that the vast majority of all crimes commited against children come from within the home, and that stranger danger is a crock, you should not be wearing a badge.

Your attitude is one of the reasons why LEO’s get a bad reputation. Your opinion is no more right than mine, just because you have a badge.

You are absolutely right, ” Your kids. Your responsibility. Period!”. So that means, leave them alone when they are playing, they have my permission and confidence. You do not have the right to undermine my authority, with my children, nor do you have the right to impose your parenting ideals, on me. They are my kids, my responsibility. Period! Get over it!

I hope you’re trolling, and not actually a police officer. Because if you are really a police officer, I’m scared. Not of a child molester, but of the way police think of children and parents nowadays.

Thank GOD it was a police office and not a child molester. And yes, MOM OF FOUR, those molestors do live in, around, and near YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. And the sad thing is, they prey on people like you who turn their kids out into the streets, and fields with no supervision. Honesly, how hard is it to sit outside in a lawn chair and actually WATCH YOUR CHILDREN PLAY??????

Stop labeling the cop the bad guy here for ensuring the safety of these children. Had been snatched, GOD FORBID, every one would be pissing and moaning about “where were the cops”??? Why is my neighborhood not safe???? OMG…..get over it! Your kids, YOUR RESPONSBILITY, PERIOD!

EXAMPLE:
Back in the early 2000s I was traveling through Helena Montana on vacation with two cats on board my trailer. After stopping at a local laundry and pulling up to a large open field to watch the evening news, one of my cats disappeared (I regularly let them out to run about when I travel with NO PROBLEMS whatsoever). My male cat Gunsmoke ran to a nearby yard and I figured he would stay nearby as both my cats always stay nearby and are used to being let out in new areas. Well, he didn’t come back.

It turns out some idiot killed him for jumping on his truck and ‘scratching it’.

I searched everywhere for twelve days combing the nearby neighborhood and knocking on doors.

I printed up an 8 by 11 letter with my cats picture on it and how to contact me. I put the letter in peoples’ mail boxes if they weren’t home.

Not only was I accused by one parent of being a child molester because some kids followed me and wanted to help me hand out my fliers and was stopped by the police and surrounded in a market parking lot after searching all day and headed to a local Walmart to stay overnight before searching again the next day, but I was told NOT to put my flier in mail boxes as they were POSTAL PROPERTY!
I was even visited by School Resource Officer who told me I should not go near the local grammar school that was adjacent to the area where my cat disappeared where I had talked to the principal and asked her to see if any of the kids had seen my cat.

Well, instead of putting my flier IN THE MAIL BOXES, I continued to simply TAPE my fliers to the boxes or somewhere near them.

NOBODY IN HELENA MONTANA of an official nature seemed to give a damn about the fact that someone KILLED MY CAT for ‘jumping on his truck’.

This information was given to me by a man who was visiting his daughter close to where my cat disappeared when he overheard two men talking about killing my cat in a local fast food business. He responded to either my flier or the large signs I posted on the sides of my trailer that was parked in the area where my cat disappeared during the day while I searched for him.

What would that type of person do to a child?

I went to the local newspaper, talked with the local TV channels and any other agency that should know that type of person was loose in their community.

I was met mostly with DISINTEREST about my plight.

The local news people acted like “what do you want us to do about it?”

They showed NO INTEREST in warning their community of such activity which should be one of their PRIMARY DUTIES!

I was treated like a suspicious child molester by the police for looking for my lost pet.

I did meet some very nice people in the area who went out of their way to help me though.

There is more detail to this story, but that should give you all a good idea of what an average person goes through in just trying to find his lost pet in a strange community.

DO NOT EXPECT TO BE TREATED KINDLY BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES OR THE LOCAL MEDIA!

THEY WILL THINK YOU ARE JUST A NUT CASE!

The event changed my perception of the police and media forever!