In our view: Catching predators

June 13, 2009 08:16 pm

— Jasper and Newton counties report an out-of-the box number of child-sex abuse cases. Our children are more likely to fall victims to sex abuse than children in other Missouri counties.
Now sexual predators have another way to get to your kids: the Internet.
Last week, Globe reporters covered one of the most sexually explicit cases heard in recent years in a Jasper County Circuit Court. Donald C. Bisans, 48, of Centralia. was charged with three counts of attempted enticement of a child. It took jurors all of 32 minutes to find him guilty on all counts.
The good news, in this case, was that there was no actual child involved. A a sheriff’s detective posed as a 13-year-old girl in the cyber sting.
The bad news is the actual number of young victims who fall prey to cyber filth is growing. We’re sure that any parents who might have been in the courtroom during that two-day trial ran home to make sure their children were making wise use of their time on the Internet.
The problem here is that even the most watchful of parents can’t be watching all the time, and cyber crimes are a fast-growing category.
We do not like the idea of “Big Brother” watching. But, in this case, we believe members of law enforcement “patrolling” the Internet on behalf of our children is a good thing.
Recently, officers arrested a man at a local cemetery. Allegedly, he expecting to meet a “teen” whom he had lured to the site. Police said he carried a gun, a rope and a roll of duct tape. He was met by officers who had been monitoring online activities and had set up the “sting.”
The establishment of the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force now provides officers in our area with training and equipment. While cyber stings won’t keep all predators off the Internet and away from your children, we believe they will scare off some.
Law enforcement’s role in keeping our children safe now goes far beyond the streets and the playgrounds.
In our view, local police and deputies need all the training they can get to keep the Internet highway a safer place for your child.