August will be here Sunday, and soon students will be flocking into Ann Arbor from all over the country. They'll come from cities, suburbs and rural settings. All will have different levels of experience.

For most incoming freshmen, this will be their first extended stay away from home and whatever protectors they may have had.

I am the parent of a soon-to-be college freshman. In less than three weeks, my youngest son will be stepping on a ship for the first day of a four-year program at a maritime academy. My wife and I have done our best and hope it's enough to keep him safe and on track for the next four years.

Each week when I write these columns, I end them with: LOCK IT UP, DON’T LEAVE IT UNATTENDED, BE AWARE AND WATCH OUT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS. It's been my hope that on some level, those who read my stories will notice those words and heed my warning.

If those words can save someone from having their property stolen, getting swindled, assaulted or otherwise victimized, I will be deeply gratified. If those words can make better citizens out of those who read them by encouraging them to watch out for their neighbors and call the police if something looks suspicious, that would be the icing on the cake. However, like a police officer’s work, one never really knows how much crime is prevented.

In these last weeks of summer, parents, relatives and friends of kids going to college have one last chance to talk to these young adults. These incoming students must realize they have their whole life ahead of them, and this is an extremely important chapter. As soon as parents and guardians wave good-bye, the new freshmen will be on their own.

University of Michigan students move in to dorms in this 2008 file photo.

The new freshmen will meet many new people, experience many new things and be forced to make their own decisions. Those decisions will be extremely important and may seem like small decisions - but some can change the course of a young student’s life and the lives of those who love him or her.

Parents: this is your last opportunity to have a dialogue with your children about core values and safety. I anticipate some eye-rolling and looks of disgust, but this is the last chance we have. Seize the moment, and without being too preachy, remind them that every day and night, they must keep their safety in mind.

Tell them they must keep an eye on their stuff. Laptop computers, wallets, cell phones, jewelry, cash and iPods are the most common things thieves steal. Make sure they keep an eye on their new friends and acquaintances around their stuff. Tell them to walk with friends at night because there is safety in numbers.

Tell them some kids won’t be able to make good decisions when it comes to alcohol and drugs. Ask them to watch out and help those other kids and to remember to make good decisions themselves. Remind them judgment is one of the first of their faculties to be affected by drugs and alcohol, and that's when they can be most vulnerable and become a victim.

I heard an alarming statistic in a sexual assault investigation class years ago that bears repeating. A woman is 10 times more likely to be sexually assaulted in her freshman year of college than in any other time in her life.

Based on my experience policing a college town, I've seen a lot of those assaults originate with young men and women making bad decisions after consuming alcohol and drugs.

Our children don't have to be terrified, but they should be informed.

Most of all parents, tell your kids how proud you are of them and how much confidence you have in their success. Tell them how much you love them and ask them to….. PLLLLLLEASE BE CAREFUL WHILE AT SCHOOL!
LOCK IT UP, DON’T LEAVE IT UNATTENDED, BE AWARE AND WATCH OUT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS.

Rich Kinsey is a retired Ann Arbor police detective sergeant who now blogs about crime and safety for AnnArbor.com.