First Police Forum Tackles Digital Threats

In effort to curb neighborhood crime and proactively protect both neighbors and children, Police Chief Michael Wynnk hosted the first in a series of forums to teach residents tips to avoid being victim of crimes.  

After reminding an audience of 15 parents to take minor precautions to keep out lurking criminals, who’ve lately been under large for local car robberies, Detective Michael Brackett was introduced last night to shift the focus from physical crime, to the cyber world.

As the forensic expert for Prince George’s Police Department, Brackett manages all digital-related crimes and leads from the most basic of sorts. His biggest push to parents was for them to understand the Internet from both their and their child’s perspectives.

“There are some very broad and generic steps to keeping kids safe [online],” Brackett said.

He introduced some key steps to reaching that goal, including keeping computers in a common area, where it can be viewed by everyone in a safer place. Brackett encouraged parents to view their child’s websites, and to maintain some sort of access.

New Internet service providers now offer parental controls, which Brackett advocated. He also told parents to limit the amount of information their children provide on websites like Facebook and Twitter, and at the core, talk to them.

“Kids as young as seven are using these things,” Brackett said. As he described a typical photo taken from a point-of-view format with a camera phone aimed above the head, looking down the body in a compromising position, he added, “The age used to be 13, 14. Now, 11 and 12-year olds are taking these [photos].”

In addition to protecting kids, Brackett encouraged parents to protect their personal information online. Reminding them that information entered online is cached and archived forever, Brackett suggested limiting the disclosure of such information. 

“It’s a starter kit for identity theft,” he said.

It’s easier to locate information thanks to social networking and the sophisticated technology being released frequently. Brackett hopes parents take in the information from the forum to take measures to protect both them and children.

The next forums will touch upon safety in schools and bullying, including the same notion for parents to be involved in their kids’ lives.

“Be nosy,” Brackett said. “It’s your job.”