I guess it is a mile from the house. I am not for CPS getting involved but a mile to and a mile from is not exactly neighborhood. In today’s world who knows who could grab them and do unmentionables. I certainly wouldn’t let me kids out by themselves that far away. Heck even my kids all teens but one must stay in the immediate neighborhood which consists of a circle of homes.
Actually, people tend to look at the past with rose-colored glasses. The world never was safe; 50 years ago, kids were being kidnapped and murdered just as they are today. But then and now, they are rare events. You teach your kids to be careful. Teach them to stay away from strangers. You can never make them 100% safe.
In the 1960s, I was running around the neighborhood alone by the age of 4. On three separate occasions, someone tried to kidnap me (I don't know how I got so lucky), but I knew to stay away from strangers. And when I got old enough to be a mom, I let my kid run around the neighborhood, just as I did.
It's up to those parents, and they have information that you do not have.
/johnny