I’m pleased to announce that Stop Internet Predators is teaming up with coalition partner, McGruff Safe Kids TID, next Friday, November 21st in Pittsburgh for the annual ‘Light Up the Night’ celebration. This is the official kick-off of the Holiday season in Pittsburgh, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it. ‘Light Up the Night’ is a time when local stores and shops stay open late and literally turn on their lights to “light up the night” and raise awareness of sexual abuse and exploitation. Area city buildings participate too.

McGruff Safe Kids TID will be on hand to provide Stop Internet Predators sponsored ID kits for kids who attend, free of charge. Even McGruff the Crime Fighting Dog will stop by to take pictures with kids and their families. Stop Internet Predators will be on hand to talk to parents about safety precautions for their kids as they navigate the web.

If you’re in the Pittsburgh area next Friday evening from 5pm to 9pm, come by and say hello.

Stacie has invited me to comment on her newly launched blog! I am excited, and flattered, to be given this opportunity and show my support for the Stop Internet Predators campaign. I feel it is necessary to educate parents and communities on emerging online child safety issues and empower them to protect their children from these vile predators. Stop Internet Predators focus on Google’s “Street View” has shown me yet another potential misuse of new technologies. And many times, children are more aware of these technologies than parents/guardians. Stop Internet Predators is really leading the way with this new effort and has gained a tremendous amount of traction in the few months since the inception of this campaign.

During the time we spent working for Jessica’s Law in Maryland, our group was able to successfully bring reform amidst a less than cooperative Maryland Judiciary Committee. And our success made Maryland safer for children. I understand that child predators need to be stopped and providing them additional tools to potentially prey on children, is not the way to do this.

I am proud to be a partner of Stop Internet Predators and urge parents to sign the petition urging our community leaders to work with Goggle and place safeguards into “Street View” to protect our children’s safety and privacy.

Am at a conference in Miami this week where I’ve talked to governors, their staffs, and other community leaders and officials about online safety. They agree that new technologies need to be safeguarded and that parents need to educate themselves and their kids about online safety. Check back next week for more feedback from the meeting.

I just returned from Pittsburgh where I discussed the importance of Internet safety to the Allegheny County Victim Assistance Policy Board.  It’s clear that domestic violence and child sexual assault share commonalities:  both crimes are two of the most under reported crimes in America and both crimes tend to increase and become more violent over time.   

To keep your children from becoming victims of crime, check out our recommended safety tips at www.StopInternetPredators.org. 

On another note, I read that Washington, DC has been recently uploaded on “Street View.”  Pretty interesting to see your own home on a map.  But remember, as with all new technologies, dangers can also exist.  Predators are using Craigslist to lure underage kids to meet.  In Manchester, NH, for instance, local police tell me that child prostitution is commonly offered through the site.  Predators have also used MySpace and Facebook to convince kids they’re talking to their peers, and not some pedophile living in a nearby city.  After all, in part thanks to the Internet, pedophiles have no jurisdictional or geographic borders when trying to reach our kids. 

If you’re a parent living in the DC area, I urge you to go onto “Street View” and check to see if your home is featured on the site.  Keep in mind, if your children happened to be playing in the front yard the day the camera crew drove down your street, they too will have been photographed and will be visible for anyone with an Internet connection to see.  If you see objectionable images, ask Google to have them removed.  Check out our Resources section of our website for step by step instructions on how to opt out.

Several months ago when I first heard about the Stop Internet Predators campaign, I was delighted to hear that another group was tackling the issue of Internet Safety.

The Internet is a great tool but can also be misused by those with bad intentions, like child predators.

As the President and founder of Ryan United, I have dedicated a vast amount of time and resources to bringing awareness to communities on how to protect children from sexual predators and ensuring that these predators are held accountable for their crimes. When my eight year old brother, Ryan was abducted and murdered in 1987 by a repeat offender, there were very few laws or programs in place that protected children or held offenders accountable for their crimes. My family and I have worked tirelessly over the years to change that.

Through this process, some things have become glaringly obvious to us.