Altamont Police have teamed up with Wal-Mart to distribute software to keep children safe from online predators, and one mother actively using the program said it has provided valuable peace-of-mind.
The software, distributed by ComputerCOP Software Corporation, allows parents to monitor what their children are doing on the Internet, and keep track of with whom they are in contact.
Altamont Police Commissioner Tony Salerno said the software was purchased with a $2,200 public safety initiative grant from Wal-Mart.
Salerno said he is determined to be proactive, especially since there has been public outcry for something to be done about online predators.
We’re seeing a lot of incidents pertaining to computer activity with our younger adolescence, Salerno said. `This is one of those issues I want to address, instead of saying, ‘I wish we had done this,’ or ‘I wish we had done that.’ These kids are vulnerable to certain elements of society.`
Becky Slingerland, a parent who uses the software, said she has three girls: two twins that are 12 and an 8-year-old.
`I trust my kids,` she said. `But the Internet, in so many words, is terrible.` She said she stresses to her children not to give out information such as their name and address, and will not allow them to have a MySpace account.
She said the program has given her the peace-of-mind to know her kids are visiting only age-appropriate Web sites.
When she ran the program, she said she luckily did not find anything questionable. She plans to run the program again after school starts, because her kids will be dealing with the stresses of peer pressure in middle school.
A key feature, ComputerCOP Sales Representative John Herrmann said, is that parents can use the software quickly and stealthily.
`The child won’t know that the computer has been scanned,` said Herrmann. `It’s designed to keep the children safe.`
The program will allow parents to monitor pictures, e-mails, instant messages and Web sites, Herrmann said.
It even has a slang terminology dictionary that allows parents to look up words or phrases that seem questionable or unfamiliar.
The program also features `keystroke capture,` giving parents the ability to monitor what their children has typed or e-mailed. This could be used to determine if a child’s name, address or telephone number have been sent electronically, Herrmann said.
If someone is e-mailing the child, the documents featuring the child’s name and information in any e-mails will be made available to the parents, he said.
`Even if the document is erased, they will be able to find the original document,` Herrmann said.
He said police and fire departments all around the country have distributed the software, and said Altamont is the first in this area to do it.
`It’s a great program,` Slingerland said. `I really think this will help a lot of parents, especially those who have missing kids.`
Salerno, who distributed the software to 150 Altamont residents on Public Safety Day in June, said too often parents complain that they could have prevented foul play if they had more information.
`If I only had known,` is a phrase uttered too often by parents, Salerno said. “