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'Cyber cops' warn parents
of dangers on the Internet

By CHRIS GRAY
Observer Staff Writer

      In the Information Age, parents must be made aware of dangers on and off the street. Ask any "cyber cop."
       The Macomb Area Computer Enforcement Task Force (MACE), affectionately known as cyber cops, gave a presentation to the Northwest Zero Tolerance Coalition about Internet safety, which includes the dangers of online predators.
       Ninety percent of the time, the department deals with fraud cases, from e-mail to auction frauds.
       They also arrest online sexual predators, sometimes working with the FBI.
       Detective Christian Kohlmeyer, one of two investigators for MACE, said it is pretty easy for kids to get online and share personal information on sites like MySpace.com or Friendster.com, or programs like AOL Instant Messenger, where online predators can easily access that information to contact them.
       "Essentially you provide information about yourself on these sites, and you host the site so people can come and get an understanding of who you are," Kohlmeyer said. "And quite often, the information is too personal or too revealing."
       With few exceptions, Kohlmeyer said the information put on sites is accessed by anyone who wishes to find it.
       "What a lot of kids don't realize is that when they put this information out there, it's pretty much permanent," he said. "Once it's out there, it's available for anybody to get their hands on."
       Kohlmeyer began the presentation by showing a Saturday Night Live skit, depicting a MySpace workshop. In it, a concerned mother shares a classroom with creepy, middle-aged men who had screen names like "9thGradeSk8rBoi" or "NaughtyGirlHotStuff."
       After all but one man runs out of the room at the sight of a police officer, the mother is told by the instructor to keep her daughter off the Internet.
       "Even though that was a joke and definitely meant to make light of it and make fun of it, you definitely could see the underlying seriousness of what is going on there," said Kohlmeyer.
       Kohlmeyer explained how online predators work, typically convincing their victim they are around the victim's age, and ask to meet with them, usually for sexual purposes.
       Unlike the skit though, Kohlmeyer said you can't categorize a predator.
       "There is no real stereotype," he said, demonstrating by showing the backgrounds of a few different men, including former law enforcers, correctional officers, and a teacher, all who were arrested for soliciting sex to a minor.
       "Individuals are of all age groups," he said. "All walks of life, different positions and jobs, some without jobs, educated, not educated, different ethical backgrounds."
       Kohlmeyer and Detective Keith Harvey, also at the meeting, said they are able to make arrests by using the same tactics the predators use, by posing as a kid online and waiting for them to make advancements.
       "One man who I used my persona to talk with said he was 37, then he said he was 50, then he said he was 51," Harvey said. He said that after arresting the man when he went to a designated meeting spot, the man gave his true age.
       "He thought that by telling me that he was 50, it would make a 14-year-old girl a-okay rather than being a 58-year-old."
       Harvey said that it is not against the law for officers to pose as someone else in this manner. By letting the predators come to them, it does not constitute as entrapment.
       "We never ask them to meet us or make advancements on them," he said. "They are always the ones that solicit us."
       Parents who are concerned should know there are simple solutions to help protect their children. Kohlmeyer said talking about it directly with your child is the most important thing to do.
       "The biggest thing is talk openly," he said. "The same way we're quick to talk about drug use and alcohol use and talk about teenagers having sex, because a lot of times we don't talk about what happens on the computer."
       He said a lot of parents try not to be restrictive with computers because they're trying to show they trust their children, but he said there should be no reason why a parent shouldn't know a child's screen names, passwords and what programs they use.
       "There is absolutely no reason," he said. "Because if a child refuses that (information), the response from the parents should be `what is on there that you're hiding that I shouldn't want to see or I can't see?'"
       Zoe Wagner, a parent at the meeting, feels it is important for parents to keep up with what children are doing on computers.
       "I thought it was very helpful," she said. "The more information parents get, the better. Kids are much more savvy with the Internet than we are, they've been born and raised with it, so we need to stay one step ahead."
       Kohlmeyer ended his presentation with an important message to parents.
       "Don't be afraid to talk to your kids and ask them questions, because if you don't, someone else will."
       Other tips MACE provided include:
       * Finding out all your child's screen names, passwords, and e-mail accounts to help monitor them better.
       * Becoming aware of all the different places a child can use the Internet, such as a friend's house or libraries.
       * Familiarizing yourself with Internet lingo. For example, the acronym IPN means "I'm posting naked," or POS meaning "parent over shoulder."
       * Telling children to immediately report any kind of activity that makes them feel uncomfortable.
       To find out more tips, visit www.netsmartz.org, www.cybertipline.com, or www.macombsheriff.com