John G. Brenner of John G. Brenner Investigations LLC Author Tips for Parents with Concerns of Internet Safety and Their Children

Fairfield, CT, November 06, 2008 --(PR.com)-- John G Brenner RN, MS is the CEO of John G Brenner Investigations LLC. Mr. Brenner has extensive law enforcement experience as the retired commanding officer of the Bridgeport Police Major Crime Unit along with working as an investigator for the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Brenner earned a graduate degree in criminal Justice from Boston University, has undergraduate degrees in forensics and nursing and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Containing The Threat Of On-Line Sexual Predictors By John G. Brenner RN. MS.

-- Dateline NBC’s reality show “To Catch a Predator” quickly gained a national following.
-- Volunteer adults routinely go online to pose as youngsters, trying to catch dangerous marauders.
-- Even some universities now teach students up-to-the-minute techniques to track down online offenders.

John G. Brenner applaud all these efforts. "They not only promote initiative and self-reliance, but they come at a time when we can’t look to the police or government to fully rectify the problem. They just don’t have the needed funds or resources" Brenner said.

- There are currently only 650,000 active duty police officers in the United States (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Oct. 2008)
- Many major cities, including Bridgeport, CT, are laying off police officers
- The nation faces shrinking local, state and federal crime prevention budgets

Police lack the needed manpower to put into long-term investigations. Typically, they’re working one case as two more come through the door.

Take many of the country’s Computer Crime Task Forces, for example. At any time, full-time officers on these forces actively try to engage predators online; and these are just the ones they can identify. The majority go unidentified.

And remember that laws won’t bar a sick personality. If someone is committed enough, they’ll find a way. "We’re talking psychopathology. These are people who don’t follow society’s moral compass" Brenner said.

Here are some common sense advice for parents:

- Keep computers out of bedrooms and other private rooms of the house.
- Don’t let your children add people they don’t know to IM and buddy lists.
- Teach them to avoid talking about sex online, in e-mail, and in chat rooms.

Mr. Brenner is a firm believer that kids have minimal privacy rights. It’s a dangerous world, and a lot of times they don’t know what they’re getting in to. Parents need to keep lines of communication open with their children, " a strong parent is actively watching what thier children do on-line" Brenner said.

That said, there’s also a reality to the situation – if you require extra measures to safeguard your child’s safety online, seek a well-credentialed private investigator. This is where the private sector can, and is, picking up the slack.

Investigators – both public and private -- can learn the identity of someone online through proven investigative means. And private software now exists to track online activity, including all key strokes and user names localized to a single computer used by your child (it would be possibly criminal using such technology for compromising someones constitutional rights).

Private investigators will thoroughly investigate facts and circumstances of a case, and turn over findings to lawyers or the police. It’s a real option, and it’s out there for families who need it.

If you find the tracking and catching of predators online a complex business, you’re not alone. For Starters, regulations vary widely. Connecticut is one of just 12 states that list online sex offender databases on official state servers. Connecticut’s site includes physical descriptions, dates of birth and details of the offense.

But the completeness of registries and databases – online or in print -- varies from state to state. Also, and perhaps more importantly, being listed on a registry can’t stop a predator from surfing the net incognito.

In Utah, for example, a convicted sex offender who is no longer on probation or parole won the right in September to surf the Internet anonymously, using untracked screen names. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell overturned a Utah state ruling on the matter.

While she acknowledged these are new and untested legal waters, Judge Campbell ultimately cited free speech under the First Amendment. You can always get the other side of the argument, but Mr. Brenner understands her message about protecting the Constitution and protecting free speech.

The good news, such as it is, is that online sexual predators rarely resort to violence or abduction, according the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. No, such knowledge won’t guarantee you a restful night’s sleep, but it does offer some insight.

So where does that leave us? When all is said and done, a partnership between public and private investigators, and a mutual spirit of cooperation, is what it takes to get the job done, but most importantly Mr. Brenner believes that the parents are the true safeguard.

www.johngbrenner.com

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