Cyber Crime Prevention Symposium Brings Together Educators, Parents, and Children to Provide Information on Staying Safe on the Internet

Law Enforcement Joins with Private Sector to Host Symposium That will Examine Cyber Bullying, ‘Sexting,’ Piracy, and Adult Predators on the Internet

LOS ANGELES—A coalition of law enforcement agencies, child advocacy groups, and private entities today are participating in the second annual Cyber Crime Prevention Symposium, a day-long seminar for more than 400 educators, parents, and middle-school students being held at the Los Angeles Police Academy.

The symposium will address a host of Internet-related security and safety issues, with panels conducting discussions on topics that include child exploitation, cyber bullying, “sexting,” and piracy. The keynote speaker at the symposium is Maryland State Police Investigator Eliott Cohen, a noted expert in online crimes against children.

A new public service announcement, "Think Before You Post," is being premiered at the Cyber Crime Prevention Symposium. “Think Before You Post,” which features actress Francia Raisa from “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” reminds young people to be careful about what they post online and to "think" before they put any photographs or information on the Internet.

“The Internet is an extraordinary tool that is transforming commerce and education, but is also subject to abuse. Cyberspace informs us, but it also provides a hiding place for dangerous criminals, including those who seek to prey on our children,” said United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. “The Justice Department has focused significant resources on identifying and prosecuting these predators, but the first line of defense to stop the continued growth of cyber crime aimed at our youth is educating teachers, parents and students to ensure that everyone can safely use the Internet.”

Organized under the aegis of the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (http://ican4kids.org/), law enforcement agencies participating in today’s conference include the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the California Department of Justice and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

"With more children and adults using the Internet more than ever, law enforcement is urging parents to educate themselves about the dangers posed by emerging technologies," said Steven Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles. "Today's meeting of the minds among law, private sector and the community is an example of our collective commitment to educate children about the harmful consequences of risky behavior in cyberspace."

The Cyber Crime Prevention Symposium also features the participation of the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and several private concerns, including Fox Entertainment Group, the Walt Disney Company, MySpace and Facebook.

"Law enforcement alone cannot make the world of cyber space safe for our children," said City Attorney Carmen Trutanich. "Prevention and outreach programs like this Symposium that train parents and educators are essential to keep our children safe. The committed partnership between government agencies and our community will continue to keep the dangerous and unpredictable cyber world safe for our children to learn and grow."

Symposium participants will hear remarks from Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, United States Attorney André Birotte Jr., FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven Martinez and Chief Deputy City Attorney William W. Carter.

The event is being filmed by the Department of Cinema and Television Arts at California State University, Northridge. The video being shot today will be compiled and made available to schools for use in Internet safety training.

CONTACTS:

Thom Mrozek, United States Attorney’s Office, (213) 894-6947, thom.mrozek@usdoj.gov

Laura Eimiller, FBI, (310) 996-3343, laura.eimiller@ic.fbi.gov

Tracy Webb, Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, M: (213) 507-3817, tracy.webb@lacity.org