Peace Lutheran Academy Sussex, Wisconsin

News Story: November 13, 2014

Detective Brian Fredericks Stresses Vigilance in “Internet Safety”

The key word for Internet safety is “vigilance” said Detective Brian Fredericks at the academy’s Parents’ Association meeting on Nov. 9. Fredericks, a 19-year veteran policeman, currently works in part with the FBI’s Internet Crimes against Children (ICAC) task force and in computer forensics with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department. Throughout the time that he’s worked in ICAC, exposed to the evils that are on the internet, that are preying on kids, Fredericks, himself a father of two, stresses parental involvement, watching what kids are doing and monitoring what types of applications they are putting on their devices, because these devices and applications are the means that allow predators access to kids. Detective Fredericks mentioned Kik Messenger, a chatting, picture-sharing application whose producers are based in Canada, and Snap Chat, a particularly nefarious application that has no other intent than to promote the distribution of pornography as examples of applications to check for and avoid.

Assembled in cooperation with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Fredericks’s hour-long presentation began by defining online predators and their victims. Online predators are often older men (over the age of 25) pretending to be younger, and are, by definition, pedophiles. Their victims are mostly girls. Parents can watch for signs of predatory grooming, the conditioning a child’s behavior to trust an adult, making them more vulnerable to abusive behavior. Signs of grooming include receiving gifts, possessing unusual phone numbers, not wanting to be around the family, and spending hours alone in their rooms with a device.

Moving on to internet safety, Fredericks discussed three main topics: what’s appropriate to talk about on line, sexting, and cyber-bullying. Parents can be proactive in internet safety by talking to their kids about the difference between “real world relationships” and “cyber relationships.” If the child has never met the person in the “real world,” Fredericks suggests that parents set policies regarding what’s appropriate to share on line and not accepting “friend” requests or chat requests. Fredericks emphasized that predators are not merely fulfilling an online fantasy, but intend sexual contact with a minor, and victims may not only be abused sexually, but also beaten or even murdered. Parents can discuss with their children that personal information, such as passwords, addresses, or schools, are inappropriate information to share. Parents can set rules on what kind of apps their child can and cannot have, set protection filters, and help set strong passwords which are not given out to cyber “friends.” Inappropriate posts are not only those providing sexual or personal information, but also include discussing pranks, using offensive language, and threatening violence. In addition, let your child know the consequences for inappropriate posts and installing inappropriate apps—and follow through urged Fredericks.

In regard to sexting, pictures or sexually explicit text messages, Fredericks proposed that 50% of kids have received or sent sext messages, and sexting is increasing at an alarming rate. Detective Fredericks warned that sexting is by definition child pornography and can carry serious criminal charges. Possessing and distributing sexts are both felony crimes.  It is important to remind your child that once a picture is on-line, it never goes away, and it may affect future job applications, college applications, or career advancement. Finally, said Fredericks, cyber bullying, the repeated attempt to request information, the sending of fake texts, and the creating of false profiles, falls under potential charges for harassment. Sometimes a simple “no” to a request is enough of a deterrent, but at other times, getting an officer involved will send the strong message that the bullying needs to stop or charges will be filed.

Detective Fredericks encouraged parents to contact authorities anytime they see something such as a post or online request that makes them uncomfortable. Parents are to save the evidence, especially anything that shows, date, time, and screen names. The police can take a report and record the event, which helps law enforcement detect criminals.

For more information or to address a concern regarding internet safety, parents can contact Detective Brian Fredericks directly by calling (262) 896-8131. The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department Detective Bureau is located at 515 W. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha, WI 53188.

A Prayer for Our Children

Almighty God, heavenly Father, You have blessed us with the joy and care of children.  As we rear our children, give us calm strength and patient wisdom that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.