A creep at the beach with a camera — get the picture?

While news media track the movements of a self-proclaimed pedophile who takes pictures of girls in public places, I got a close-up of someone doing just that at one of our favorite hangouts a couple of weeks ago.

At least that's what I think the guy at the Green Lake Bathhouse beach was doing with his long lens trained on bikini-clad teenagers. And, of course, I have no idea if he is a pedophile. All I know is that my parent paranoia started pinging when I saw him standing in the shadows, surmised what appeared in his viewfinder and noticed the obliviousness of his young subjects.

Did I call the cops or talk to the lifeguards? No. What would I have said to them? It's a public beach. Did I later tell my posse of parents, many of whom also frequent that beach? Yes, and they said they had heard creepy behavior is a problem at Green Lake, which it is, according to Seattle Police Detective Chris Young, who said most of the department's cases of men exposing themselves to women happen at Green Lake.

But was the guy with the camera really doing anything wrong? And is it even appropriate to link that stranger to the peripatetic publicity hound (whom I won't name so as not to feed his addiction to attention)?

The latter used to run a Web site out of Arlington that told others how and where to get the best photos of little girls in public. He takes the photos, he has said, because he is attracted to little girls but would never cross the line with one. Earlier in the summer, he moved to Los Angeles and as of last week was living in Portland, according to The Oregonian.

After gagging down revulsion about him and wondering why journalists continue to reward him with, for example, "exclusive" radio interviews, I realized something good has emerged with knowledge of people like him: helping kids stay safe, aware and a little afraid.

The starting of the school year — the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) says 60 percent of attempted abductions occur when kids are going to and from school or related activities — led me to a short list of safety tips that presume a legion of bad people with myriad bad intentions. But we all have to dwell with images of the bad guys for peace of mind:

• If a slow-moving car pulls up alongside or follows you, turn and run in the opposite direction and find a trusted adult;

• Take the headphones off or earbuds out when walking;

• If you are riding a bike, hold on to the bike no matter what if someone tries to abduct you;

• Don't put your name on the outside of your backpack, your lunch bag, your jacket or your clothes;

• Try to be at the bus stop in pairs; walk home with someone;

• If someone tries to abduct you, scream and yell;

• And, from the NCMEC: "Most importantly, children should be taught to trust their feelings. They need to know that if someone makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused, they should tell a parent, guardian, or trusted adult."

That's the root of success for all safety tips: Teach children to trust their gut, and then have the confidence to talk about it. Sometimes we adults aren't so good at this.

One time, I was out of the loop about an individual banned from one of my family's communities. Perhaps out of political correctness or a fear of labeling someone unfairly, a group of parents didn't spread the word that this individual had been told to stay away because of his overly attentive behavior. Guess who showed up on our block one day.

We got an uneasy feeling, sleuthed, called other parents, and then the Seattle Police Department, which stepped in. We haven't seen him since, but the incident proved gut instincts mean something. Yes, you may be wrong about someone, but what if you aren't?

Back to the man at that beach.

Curious where such photos might show up, I Googled and found at least one Web site with photo after photo of teen girls at a Lake Washington beach this summer. Is it just appreciation of the young human body, or perverted? The photos apparently are not for sale, but would I want my kids' photo in that gallery? Uh, no, but what can I do about it?

One of my young companions had a good idea. She took a picture of the picture taker at Green Lake. How? With the new cellphone that was bought, in part, to keep her safe.

Andrea Otanez is a regular contributor to Times editorial pages. She is the journalism instructor at Everett Community College. E-mail her at otaneza@gmail.com