For Immediate Release                                                         Contact: Catherine Johnson

May 13, 2009                                                                          202-253-7481

Stop Internet Predators Honors Attorneys General from Rhode Island, North Carolina, Maryland, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Florida with Champion of Online Safety Award

PHILADELPHIA - Stop Internet Predators, an organization committed to keeping children safe online, yesterday honored Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett and Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum with the “Champion of Online Safety Award” at a press conference at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia. 

This recognition is part of an effort by Stop Internet Predators to honor legislators, policy makers and community leaders both, nationally and in communities across America, that are the strongest advocates for child online safety.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to recognize these six Attorneys General for their advocacy efforts for child Internet safety,” Stacie Rumenap, executive director of Stop Internet Predators said. “In their own unique way they all have made significant impacts on strengthening Internet and wireless safety for young people.”

“Attorney General Corbett created in Pennsylvania two very useful child safety groups: the Child Sexual Exploitation Task Force and the Child Predator Unit. Attorney General Lynch has made increasing protections for children in the realm of technology a priority, both in his capacity as Rhode Island Attorney General and as President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG),” continued Rumenap. “ While Attorney General Roy Cooper has been a leader at the national and state levels in protecting young people from the potential dangers of the Internet by supporting tough laws that deter criminals who harm our children.”

“General Gansler is diligent about proposing, drafting, and successfully advocating for legislation to protect Maryland children from sexual predators.  And General McCollum, a staunch supporter of child Internet safety, in 2005 created the Child Predator CyberCrime Unit in Florida, which brings together state law enforcement, investigators and prosecutors to investigate and prosecute child predators, child pornography and Internet-based sexual exploitation of children.  With such intense efforts it is only fitting to recognize all these contributions to child safety online,” concluded Rumenap.

Stop Internet Predators is a project of Stop Child Predators, launched to educate parents and communities on emerging online child safety issues and empower them to protect their children’s privacy and safety. http://www.stopinternetpredators.org

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