Keeping our children safe on the internet
Safety precautions in the event of a terrorist attack
How to Guard against Child Abduction

KEEPING OUR CHILDREN SAFE ON THE INTERNET

Children, especially adolescents, are sometimes interested in and curious about sexuality and sexually explicit material. They may also be moving away from the total control of parents and seeking to establish new relationships outside their family. Numerous FBI investigations involving child victims suggest that many children have been exploited and lured away from home as a result of unsupervised meetings on-line with sexual predators. Evaluation of the results of these investigations also conclude that many of these situations could have been prevented if several simple steps had been followed by parents.

A parent's job is never done. Just as we would not allow our children to talk to a sexual predator in person, we should not allow our children to talk to a sexual predator on-line. However, if we do not have proper controls in place and if we do not monitor the behavior of our children while they are on the computer, we are in effect permitting our children to talk to a sexual predator on-line.

The truth is, the internet should be used by our children for education and not socialization. Also, children should use the internet only under a parent's supervision.

The following information will help you identify behavior of your children which may indicate they are "at risk on-line." You will also find information which should help prevent your children from being victimized. Additionally, you will find information regarding what you should do if your children are receiving inappropriate information on-line.

What are the warning signs that your child might be at risk on-line?

1. Your child spends large amounts of time on-line, especially at night.

2. You find pornography on your child's computer.

3. Your child receives phone calls from people you don't know, or your child is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don't recognize.

4. Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don't know.

5. Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room.

6. Your child becomes withdrawn from the family.

7. Your child is using an on-line account belonging to someone else.

What can you do to minimize the chances of an on-line predator victimizing your child?

1. Keep the computer in a common room, not in the child's bedroom. It is difficult for an on-line predator offender to communicate with a child when a parent or other member of the household can see the computer screen.

2. Use parental controls from your service provider or blocking software which can be helpful but should not be relied on exclusively. On-line predators usually meet victims in chat rooms. Accordingly, any time your child spends in a chat room should be heavily monitored.

3. Always maintain access to your child's on-line account and randomly check their e- mail.

4. Review on-line safeguards at your child's school, library, and homes of friends to make sure proper controls and reviews are in place.

5. Teach your child the responsible use of on-line resources.

6. Teach your child about sexual victimization and potential on-line dangers.

7. Other things to teach your child:

a. Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met on-line.

b. Never upload (post) pictures of themselves on-line to people they do not know.

c. Never give identifying information, such as school names, team names, etc.

d. Never download pictures from an unknown source, since they may be sexually explicit or contain computer viruses.

e. Never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing.

f. Whatever they are told on-line is probably a lie.

8. Take the time to learn how your computer works, and stores information.

9. See what different types of chat programs your child is using, learn about the programs and then limit your child's contact with others as appropriate.

10. Spend time with your child on-line.

What should you do if you suspect your child is communicating with an on-line sexual predator?

1. Consider talking openly with your child about your suspicions. Tell them about the dangers of computer sexual predators.

2. Review what is on your child's computer. If you don't know how, ask a friend, coworker, relative, or other knowledgeable person. Pornography or any kind of sexual communication is a warning sign.

3. Use Caller ID or Block services to identify or block people you don't want to call your child.

4. Should any of the following situations arise, via the internet or an on-line service, you should immediately contact the FBIs National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.ncmec.org, state or local law enforcement.

a. Your child or anyone in the household has received child pornography.

b. Your child has been sexually solicited by someone who knows your child is under 18 years old.

c. Your child has received sexually explicit images from someone who knows your child is under 18 years old.

If any of these scenarios occurs, keep the computer turned off to preserve any evidence law enforcement may need. Unless directed by law enforcement, do not attempt to copy or print any of the images or text found on the computer.

For more information click on "A Parent's Guide To Internet Safety" or contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.ncmec.org.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN THE EVENT OF A TERRORIST ATTACK

Terrorists typically want to frighten a population by inflicting mass injuries. By educating ourselves we give ourselves the ability to minimize the number of injuries which might result in the event of an attack, thereby defeating the terrorists goal. Accordingly, the more prepared we are, individually and as a country, to take immediate mitigating action in the event of an attack or other emergency, the more secure we are as a country.

The FBI asks everyone to remain alert in an effort to prevent attacks. Be aware of your surroundings. If you see something unusual, evaluate it. After evaluating for a short time, if you cannot determine if a threat exists or if you think a threat may exist, notify law enforcement. By doing so you will be taking part in the nationwide neighborhood watch program.

The FBI does not recommend private citizens attempt to use gas masks. Without proper training gas masks can be dangerous and cause death. There are a number of recorded cases in which gas masks were used improperly and children died from suffocation as a result.

The following guidelines are based on protocols developed jointly by Special Agents of the Los Angeles FBI office and the Los Angeles County Health Department. These guidelines are not provided because of any known terrorist threat. They are provided to educate you so, if in the event of a terrorist attack, you will be better prepared to react in a manner which will minimize injuries. These guidelines will also help you in the event of an emergency which does not involve terrorism.

If you are exposed to an unknown hazardous chemical liquid you should:

1. Move away from the liquid.

2. Take cover if a liquid is falling on you, or use clothing to protect your skin from contact with the liquid.

3. If you get some of the liquid on you: once you are no longer in contact with the source of the liquid, take your clothing off and immediately wash with soap and cool water. First, wash body parts which were not covered with clothing, and then wash your entire body. If soap is not available wash with cool water.

4. Get a medical evaluation as soon as possible.

5. Call 911 as soon as possible.

If you are exposed to an unknown hazardous chemical gas you should:

1. Move away from the gas which may be in the form of a cloud.

2a. If you are outside, cover your nose and mouth with a folded cloth, breathe through the cloth, and continue to move away from the gas.

2b. If you are in a vehicle, roll up the windows, close all roof openings, and close the ventilation system so external air does not enter, and turn the ventilation system "off". Also, cover your nose and mouth with a folded cloth and breathe through the cloth as you drive away from the gas.

2c. If you are at home, stay in the house, close the windows and doors, and turn the ventilation system "off". You may also want to breathe through a folded cloth until the threat has passed.

3. Call 911 as soon as possible.

4. Monitor radio or television stations for official information regarding the threat. "On scene" police and fire officials may provide information regarding the status of the threat.

5. Once the threat has passed, get a medical evaluation as soon as possible.

If you believe you are being exposed, or that you have been exposed, to a biological hazard you should:

1. Move away from the material.

2. Cover your nose and mouth with a folded cloth and breathe through the cloth.

3. Get a medical evaluation as soon as possible.

4. Call 911 as soon as possible.

If you are in the area of an explosion you should:

1. Take cover behind a substantial object to decrease the chance of being hit by flying debris. Make sure to stay clear of glass windows which may be above you, since they could become a source of dangerous secondary debris. If cover is not available lay flat on the ground.

2. Try to stay away from vehicles in the immediate area of the blast. Terrorists have been known to detonate secondary explosions in vehicles in order to increase the number of injuries.

3. As soon as debris has stopped falling move away from the location of the blast.

4. Get a medical evaluation from emergency responders.

5. If you witnessed the blast tell law enforcement what you saw.

If you believe you have been exposed to radiological material from a "dirty bomb" you should follow the guidelines regarding an explosion, and:

1. As soon as debris has stopped falling move away from the area of the blast and stay away from the debris cloud. A debris cloud could contain radioactive particles.

2. If you cannot avoid the debris cloud, use clothing to cover your skin. Clothing will give you some protection from particles.

3. Cover your nose and mouth with a folded cloth, breathe through the cloth and exit the cloud as soon as possible.

4. Once you are out of the debris cloud and a safe distance from the initial explosion remove your clothing, because it may have trapped radioactive particle.

5. Then, first wash body parts which were not covered with clothing, and then wash your entire body with soap and cool water. If soap is not available wash your entire body with cool water.

6. Get a medical evaluation from emergency responders.

7. If you witnessed the blast tell law enforcement what you saw.

8. If a dirty bomb were to explode, most injuries would result from the initial explosion and not from contamination of radioactive material. This is because it is very difficult to disperse radiological material, with a bomb, in amounts sufficient to cause a significant health impact. For those who take proper immediate steps to protect themselves after such an explosion, the chance of a significant health impact is diminished even further.

Police and firefighters are commonly referred to as "first responders" because they are often first to arrive on scene after the onset of an emergency. By virtue of being at the scene when an emergency occurs "first responders" should be those private citizens at the scene who may have already suffered injury or may suffer injury if they do not take the proper immediate action. By knowing some simple things you can do if you are involved in an emergency, and by taking immediate action, you "the private citizen" become a "first responder."

In most cases, following the above guidelines could greatly diminish, if not eliminate, injuries which could result from a chemical, biological, explosive or radiological event regardless of whether the event is the result of an accident or terrorism.

In many cases you will be at greater risk of injury in a rush to evacuate than you will be from an attack itself. Accordingly, in any emergency, try to stay calm, keep those around you calm and follow the appropriate steps noted above.

Finally, statistics show you are far more likely to be injured in an automobile accident than in a terrorist attack, so, drive safely.