Think twice before sending.
Law enforcement officers hope children, particularly teenagers,think about what they are posting online and realize it will bethere forever.
Officers often hear that one of their greatest responsibilitiesis to protect the most vulnerable members of society, said WilliamJ. Hochul Jr., U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York.
He said when it comes to family, that means protecting childrenwho are exposed to more danger, especially through social media, andperhaps are more vulnerable than ever before.
Hochul and members of the FBI, Homeland Security, the U.S.Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Service and New York State Policegathered Thursday at the Rochester office of the National Center forMissing and Exploited Children to call on adults to protectchildren.
Hochul talked about Project Safe Childhood, a Department ofJustice initiative launched in 2006 to combat sexual exploitationcrimes against children whom he said face dangers from sexualpredators who produce and distribute child pornography.
Other crimes prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood includebuying and selling children for pornography production, advertisingchild pornography, enticement, transporting minors across statelines for sexual activity with a minor, traveling to a child's statefor the same, sex trafficking of minors and failure to register as asex offender.
Hochul's office, which covers 17 Western New York counties,charged 50 people last year under Project Safe Childhood. He said 44of the defendants have been sentenced -- 33 of them to five years ormore in federal prison.
Hochul said so far this year, 27 people have been charged and 25have been sentenced -- 14 to at least five years.
"We've been very successful in tracking and bringing these peopleto justice," he said, adding that it is particularly important forparents to monitor their children as the school year is coming to aclose and they will be online more often.
Hochul said parents should also remind children not play outsidealone, teach them to never approach a car unless they know theperson inside and that if anyone tries to grab them, they shouldresist and scream. In addition, he said parents should talk to theirchildren about potential risks and how to avoid them.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Lee, who has prosecuted most ofthe Project Safe Childhood cases, talked about a couple of areacases that involved adults exploiting teenagers for sex or sexuallyexplicit images.
One involved a 14-year-old Monroe County girl who developed anonline relationship with someone she thought was a 15-year-old boy.She sent sexually explicit photos of herself to the boy she hadfallen in love with -- he turned out to be a 50-year-old man.
"Please be aware who you think you are talking to may not be theperson you think," Lee cautions teens. "Anyone can be anyoneonline."
She also warns that sexually explicit photos -- or anythingposted online -- may be irretrievable.
"Once it's out there, it stays out there forever," Lee said.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has twokey programs to help protect children, said New York ExecutiveDirector Edward Suk. One is a cyber tipline -- www.cybertipline.comor 1 (800) 843-5678 -- that has received more than 1 million tipssince its 1998 inception.
The center also offers a child victim identification program thathas found more than 48 million images and videos of graphic sexvictimization since 2002. Suk said that has led to prosecution ofthe perpetrators and -- more importantly -- the identification andrescue of children. He said 7,663 websites were shut down last year.
Suk also talked about the Take 25 program, which encouragesparents, guardians, educators and others to take 25 minutes to talkto children about safety. The campaign is in honor of NationalMissing Children's Day on May 25. May is also Project Safe ChildhoodMonth.
Joining Hochul, Lee and Suk were Randy Newcomb, seniorinvestigator for the New York State Police Computer Crime Unit; FBISupervisory Resident Agent David Zariczny; FBI Special Agent GregNelsen; Special Agent Barry Couch; Nick Di Nicola, HomelandSecurity, Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant specialagent in charge; Postal inspectors Ray Williams and Marty Arthur;and Acting U.S. Marshal Brian Matthews.
Online tips
Parents need to monitor computer usage including time spentonline and the websites their children visit. It is also a good ideato keep the computer in a common area instead of a child's bedroom.
Know what other access your child may have to the Internet, suchas friends' homes, the library, games and cell phones.
Discuss what is appropriate to post online and what is not --such as information about themselves and pictures.
Encourage children to let you know if they are approached by astranger online.
On the Web
www.take25.org
www.missingkids.com
www.projectsafechildhood.gov
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