Workshop on Megan’s law stresses involvement by parents
By Daniel Wolowicz
danielw@theacorn.com

When it comes to protecting children from sexual predators, parents are still the first and best line of defense.

That was the message given by local law enforcement agents during a Megan’s Law and Child Safety workshop presented by the city of Westlake Village on Thurs., April 21. The event took place at city hall. It was the second workhop in a four-part series aimed at educating residents about everyday public safety issues.

"It starts at home," said Chris Hicks, a detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. "You have to take time and keep involved with your kids. Don’t place the weight of responsibility on the school, don’t place it on law enforcement and don’t place it on your church counselor. Take it upon yourself."

The panel was made up of representatives from the sheriff’s department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, the Stuart House Child’s Advocate Program and the Ludington Institute for Family Enrichment.

The discussion included how to protect children from Internet pornography and online pedophiles and how Megan’s law works within a community.

According to the FBI, 825,600 children are reported missing each year. And the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports that 40 percent of all abductions of children between 15 and 17 years old were directly attributable to Internet activity.

Patrolling online

Hicks, who works in the Family Crime Bureau, said he targets online "sexual predators." Instant messaging in chat rooms is the most common way children come in contact with online criminals. Because of this, investigators pose as minors to patrol websites known to attract pedophiles looking for children.

The legality of online patrols remains a hotly contested issue in many courts, as police must gather information without violating privacy rights.

Hicks said, however, that this type of undercover work is done primarily to discourage online predators from cruising chat rooms, not to stop them. To best combat online pedophiles, Hicks said, parents should take a proactive, common-sense approach.

Parents must monitor the number of hours a child is online. Computers should be kept in a common room, not in the child’s bedroom. Parents must learn how to manage Internet usage by setting administrative controls, and they should know the various e-mail accounts their children use.

Most importantly, though, parents must keep an open line of communication with their children.

Warning signs

Hicks said signs that a child may be involved in an inappropriate online relationship include hang-up calls, callers using disguised voices, unexplained gifts in the mail and a withdrawn attitude by a child. Hicks also said another sign of trouble is when a child quickly logs off the computer as a parent walks into the room.

In addition, parents should never allow private face-to-face meetings between their children and Internet friends. Hicks advised parents to be cautious about allowing a school to use a child’s picture on their website. Officials also recommended parents block text messaging features on cell phones.

To further help parents protect their children while online, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office started the program "Protecting Our Kids." Available through the district attorney’s website, the program offers step-by-step instructions on setting administrative controls and how to search a computer for unwanted files.

ComputerCOP software is also available on the district attorney’s website. ComputerCOP, a mini-CD, uses a database of nearly 1,000 keywords and phrases to search for material dealing with pornography, drugs, violence, hate crimes and gambling. The disk costs $8.95.

Many of the same principles used to keep children safe online apply to real-world situations.

Dan Scott, a sergeant with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, said 33 percent of girls and 16 percent of boys will experience some type of sexual assault by the age of 18.

Locally, officials said approximately 20 cases of sexual assault are reported each year. Many of those victims are 15- to 16-year-old girls sexually assaulted at parties where drugs or alcohol are involved.

Every year, two to three local victims are referred to Stuart House in Santa Monica, officials said. The center provides rape counseling for victims and also helps children who’ve been molested. Deputy District Attorney Eva Jabber and Child Advocate Nataly Cohen, who both work at Stuart House, said parents need to have "age-appropriate" conversations with their children about what is considered inappropriate touching. They said the talks should continue as the child grows.

"What is important for me to get across to parents is, again, to reinforce the need to listen to their children," Jabbar said. "A lot of the time (children) don’t disclose because they are afraid of their parents’ reaction."

Sgt. Scott said a majority of sexual assaults involve someone the victim knows and very rarely involve a stranger. He said parents need to remain vigilant about where their children are and who they are with. Scott encourages parents to meet their children’s friends and their friends’ parents.

Communication is a key component in protecting a child from a sexual assault, said Scott.

"Parents don’t listen," Scott said. "Kids will want to share things with them, and they’ll start to tell them something and a lot of times the parents will shut them down especially if it’s a family-related issue. They shut the kid down, and the kid is not going to bring it up again."

Sgt. Scott said parents should help keep their children from settings where sexual assaults are likely to happen, like at parties and at strangers’ homes. Scott said both parents and children should be aware of their surroundings to better avoid assault.

Watch Megan’s Law

Officials urge parents to take advantage of Megan’s law, which requires sex offenders to register with local law enforcement agencies. A picture, description of crime and address also are on file.

Megan’s law passed in 1995 after the rape and murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka by a previously convicted child molester who lived across the street. The family did not know he lived there. Megan’s death sparked the family to successfully push for new legislation to make the location of sex offenders available to the public.

To visit the Megan’s law website online go to http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov.

Currently, there are 25 to 30 registered sex offenders in the Conejo Valley, officials report. Tim Cooley, a detective with the sheriff’s department, monitors the area’s sex offenders. He said they’re required to check in with his office once a year for an updated picture, and he visits each offender about twice a year.

Cooley said he makes sure to meet with offenders on Halloween, a night with a high incidence of sexual assaults.

Contrary to popular belief, Cooley said people cannot post the pictures of registered sex offenders. To do so is a violation of privacy rights and is a misdemeanor. And residents aren’t allowed to "force the person to move." Cooley also said that, depending on probation and parole conditions, a registered sex offender has the right to live near a school or park.

Authorities, however, are required to post the picture of "high-risk and serious sex offenders who reside in, are employed in, or frequent a particular community," officials said. And realtors must disclose in sales agreements if there are any sex offenders living in the immediate area.