How to find sexual predators by using the internet

[Star]

How to find sexual predators in your area using the Internet


The threat from child sex offenders is often disturbingly close to home. News stories consistently reveal them living close by their victims. Sometimes they’re right next door. How can we know who’s in our neighborhoods?

There are laws to help protect our kids, including Megan’s Law. Megan’s Law helps ensure that offenders are registered. The law also helps ensure that their information is available to the public. But no law is perfect.

The police don’t have to notify you when an offender moves in nearby. They just have to make that information available. You might need to visit a local law enforcement office or go online. Each state keeps its own registry, and most are available on the Web. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) compiles a list of the states’ sites. You can find it at:
http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/cac/states.htm

The state registry sites offer valuable information. They also typically warn against using the information to harass offenders.

Your local registry isn’t guaranteed. According to Parents For Megan’s Law (PFML), about 24 percent of offenders fail to report address changes. Also, offenders are registered only after they’ve been convicted. So a big part of kids’ safety is a strong frontline of prevention. That’s parents like you and me.

There are many potential red flags. Some important things to know:

• Most victims are abused by someone they know and trust. That includes relatives, friends and authority figures.

• Predators will work hard to gain access to children. They may work as doctors, tutors, babysitters or club leaders. Some even marry or become parents for opportunities.

• Some offenders consistently offer to take a child on outings or trips alone. They might befriend a single parent for the chance to “help out.”

• Be cautious of anyone who seems more interested in your kid than you are.

The PFML Web site offers a good discussion of predator tactics and warning signs. You can find it at:
http://www.parentsformeganslaw.com/h...evention.lasso

Access is not enough for some predators. Some resort to abduction. As painful as it sounds, you should plan for the worst. It’s important to keep current, vital records on your kids. In an abduction case, time is of the essence. The sooner you can give identifying information to police, the sooner they can help.

Many sites give away or sell child identification kits. They make it easier to keep your kid’s information organized in one place. They include recent photos, along with information on relatives and close friends. Most recommend fingerprints, and some recommend DNA samples. You can get these kits at these sites:

http://www.klaaskids.org/pg-idkit.htm
http://www.whatsshowing.on.ca/kids
http://distinctivefeatures.com
http://www.lrcf.net/LRCFoundation.org/Child.ID.Kit
http://www.readyorg.com

Identification kits that carry a fee usually include materials for fingerprinting or taking a DNA sample.

So, find out who is in your neighborhood today. And if you know someone with children, please pass along this tip for Komando Kids.

(Kim Komando Show Home Page: http://www.komando.com )

[Paul]

This is actually a really disturbing story for me to retell but once, about 5 or 6 years ago I was downloading something pictures off of kazaa and one turned out to be a child porn picture, really freaked me out and made me sick to my stomach. I didn't know what to do so I searched the internet for some sort of place where you could inform some authorities about this kind of thing, can't remember the site I found but I submitted all the relevant info like username, when and where it occurred and how to find the person using the kazaa program. Sometimes I wonder if any good ever came of that and thought about setting up some sort of company that hunts down sickos online and turns them over to the authorities so they can put them away for good. I was telling my mom about that soon after it happened, she couldn't barely believe there was stuff like that available online, I couldn't either.

[Merika]

Something similar happened to me one night too Paul...when I was totally looking for another subject. You HEAR about that stuff....but the one quick pic I saw....made me nauseated as h*ll. These people who participate are SWINE!

Since that night...I double check every link before clicking.

[Star]

Luckily, I've never come across anything like that and I hope I never do. I think i'd puke. How some people can look at those and like it is beyond me. They should be all locked up for life.

I want to say that this article is credited to Merika as she sent it to me by e-mail. Thanks Merika!

[Apokryphos]

Free? Where? I'm down for free anything! ...But seriously, great thread and useful links.

As for the "kiddy porn", yeah it's pretty screwed up! I tried downloading a video for "The Offspring's, The Kids Aren't Alright." It ended up being a child porn movie...I was pretty shocked...that's just blah...indescribeble (sp?). Needless to say, I immediately deleted and sent an email to the file-sharers ISP.

What is this world coming to?

~Casey