 |
Recognizing Taney County's Battle Against Online Predators
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I know the past couple of weeks, we have been discussing ways to monitor and protect our children’s online activities. There may be some parents out there freaked out about their kids being online. It can be easy to do. However, it’s important to keep in mind, that even though the internet can be used to lure the innocent unsuspecting, it is also being used to lure the predator.
This is exactly what the Taney County Sheriff’s Department in Missouri, did last week.
Michael Sean Pruiett, 37, of Ava, was charged in an Internet crime sting, after allegedly exposing himself on a webcam in the belief that the person on the other end was a young girl. This man was found in an internet chat room.
"Welch's sole purpose is to chat everyday with possible predators, in web
chat rooms, finding the best ways to act like a teen or child.She must be very
careful not to entice them. Laws require that the predator must be the
one to initiate inappropriate conduct.
Welch says as soon as she logs on she is approached by so many people she
has to start ignoring them. And many, she says, are from the Ozarks.
Russell says having a deputy dedicated to this type of crime is vital to public
safety."
These are the type of people that sooner or later are very apt to progress
on and go into rapes and other acts with children," Russell says.
Russell says parents may be surprised to see what is going on with children
online, and there are people living in southwest Missouri who expose themselves
to kids and try to lure them into face to face meetings."
I want to look at this twofold. Even though the internet is often used for bad, it is also being used to catch the bad. And it’s also great to know that there are folks out there dedicated to protecting our children from someplace other than our own home. If you are a law enforcement officer and are with us in our effort to keep children safe online, please join our Facebook group, Law Enforcement For Protecting Children Online.
Labels: chat room, children safety, Facebook group, Internet predators, internet safety, Taney County Sheriff's Department
posted by Lindsay Manfredi at 5:20 PM Link to this Article
Comments:
###
|
 |
Post a Comment