Channel 11 knows being a parent today is challenging, and keeping your children and teenagers safe is your top priority. That's why Channel 11 morning news anchor Katherine Amenta recently traveled to outside Philadelphia to take you behind the scenes of a real-world classroom, showing parents the warning signs before it's too late.
The classroom looks just like a teenager's bedroom.
The Bensalem site was made to disguise dangers in a bedroom, just as a teen could be doing at home.
It's the Bensalem Police Department's interactive summer display for parents and guardians, to teach them the trouble signs to watch for with teens.
"They walk through the room and they think they can search a room in five minutes and, in reality, you can't," said Sgt. Adam Schwartz, of the police department.
The room has 100 different warning signs and hiding spots that police will come across during investigations. Schwartz told us it's not just drugs hidden in the room. There are also signs of violent behavior, mental health problems and inappropriate relationships.
TRENDING NOW:
- Woman impaled by unattended beach umbrella, police say
- Police investigating after man's body found outside of home
- 28 hurt after 2 buses involved in crash in downtown Pittsburgh
- VIDEO: Woman talks about surviving duck boat accident that killed 17
We found drugs in the brim of a hat and in a hidden compartment in a hairbrush. A gun was found in the base of a drawer and rubber bands found under the mattress pointed to heroin use.
Schwartz says it can also get a lot more complicated, with indicators of depression or self-harm. He says parents should not shy away from searching a teen's room.
"If you don't have the authority in your own home to go through your stuff, well that's a problem in itself," he said.
Parents should also look through journal entries or seemingly benign notebooks. Your teen could be writing down information about drug distribution, prostitution or violent thoughts and behavior.