Good evening. My name is Scott Metheny and I am a police officer in Upper Moreland Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
I am also the DARE Officer for my township. A little over a month ago, two mothers that I know came to me and asked if I knew
of the choking game. They told me of a party over the summer where there were 16 eighth grade girls and 8 of them played this
game with one girl passing out. They wanted me to educate the kids about how dangerous this was. I had not heard of it,
but immediately looked into it. I was shocked when I learned how wide spread this was and how many kids are dying
from it. I immediately became consumed with putting together a presentation for the kids to educate them on the dangers of
this deadly activity. I am fortunate to have a school district that supports my efforts. I knew that in order to get
the kids to realize the importance, it had to emotionally affect them as well. You can view my presentation at
stop-the-choking-game.com in the downloads section. I have done assemblies for the entire middle school on November 18th and will be doing the high
school during the day on December 7th. After all the work I put into this, I feel well educated on the subject.
I heard that your show was going to be on last night and wanted to see how FOX News covered this serious problem. I must
say that I was very disappointed. For the doctor to downplay it so much really upset me. This is a widespread problem. Many
states have deaths directly linked to this as well as Canada, France, Germany, and Russia. How could he say it is not
a major problem? I think you did the right thing running a segment on this problem, however, parents were lulled into
a false sense of security by the casual attitude of the doctor. Parents must know how dangerous and widespread this
problem is and what they can do to protect their children. When I was looking for information, I was able to
speak with too many parents who have gone through the tragedy of losing a child, because no one gave them the information
they needed to protect their children. Again, I believe you made a good attempt but your "expert" ruined the piece by not
showing the enormity of this problem. I do not believe that you covered the fact that this is also "played" by
older people with a sexual element added. This is sometimes done alone or with a partner. I believe the "choking game" can
be a stepping stone for this "adult" activity. The important part to note is that the choking is what kills and does so at
any age. There are people who think they can control it and do it safely, but in order to get the feeling they are looking
for, they are causing brain damage and risking death as well as many other injuries.
If you want to get a look at how to educate the viewing public, you are welcome to come to a meeting I am holding for
the parents in my school district on December 7, 2005. I will be showing them my presentation and then opening it up for questions
at the end. I feel that this should be offered to parents across the country to inform them on the hidden dangers that are
killing our young people. Every time someone reports that it has happened to a "few" and it is not a common activity,
parents think they have nothing to worry about. I'm telling you every parent should be scared, especially the parents who
think they have "good kids". These are often the ones who try this thinking it is safe. We can not expect our youth to
make good choices if we do not tell them the facts. If we hide things from them to "shelter" them, we are putting them
at risk. There is a good chance that they will hear about this from a friend and I can assure you they want hear how dangerous
it is. Let's educate the people so they can be prepared to protect themselves.
Please consider covering this story again. If it saves one life, it is worth it and with the number of viewers you have,
I'm sure it will save thousands. If you would like further information on my scheduled presentation, please email me and I
will be happy to answer any questions you may have. I also have contact with many parents who have lost a child that would
be willing to help you get the message out. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Scott Metheny
umpd31@msn.com
