Police: UC Kids Still Left In Cars On Hot Days

With temperatures over 90 again Wednesday, an Upper Cumberland Police Chief said his department still gets calls about children unattended in a hot car.

Livingston Police Chief Ray Smith said the calls come a handful of times each year. Smith said leaving a child in a car during this time of year is irresponsible.

“At this time the sun is shining quite brightly and it’s summertime,” Smith said. “The heats are already up in the 90’s and in cars, it just gets even hotter. We do have those situations and it is a very dangerous situation.”

Leaving a child in a hot car could lead to consequences such as a citation, but Smith said it can lead to the loss of a child’s life. Smith said often times parents get busy when trying to make a quick trip and end up leaving a child in a car longer than intended.

“I think it’s just getting tied up in the day-to-day business and running into someone and talking,” Smith said. “I never had anybody say or never say hey I forgot them being out there. Sometimes they do have the AC running in the car but still, it’s not a good idea to leave children at all unattended in any circumstances.”

Smith said the best tactic to prevent this from happening is to simply take your kids in with you. Smith said the department has made efforts to stay ahead of the issue.

“We patrol the parking lots for those very reasons,” Smith said. “It’s kind of just looking to make sure everything is good to go, and we do got some great citizens that if they do see stuff like that they will call immediately when it happens, so hopefully we are not too far behind the situation.”