Internet Sex Crimes: Florida Gets Tough

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

30 Apr 2007 04:39 AM

If you have children, this is one of those stories that just makes you applaud.

Earlier this week, the Florida State Legislature unanimously approved a new bill. This bill sets a maximum 15-year prison term for anyone who contacts a child online and attempts to meet that child for sexual purposes (this also applies in sting operations where volunteers and law enforcement pose as children online).

This bill passes easily in the Senate, which makes sense. After all, who could really be in favor of child molesters and predators?

Leaders of the Florida Sheriffs Association, perhaps motivated by the bill, are working on the law enforcement budget right now to focus more attention on this issue of Internet child endangerment. The association's goals include increasing the "cyber crimes" unit from six employees to 56 employees. This would also add several more physical offices in Jackson, FL, the current base.

"We're going to see some people take notice around the country that Florida is the toughest state on child pornographers and child predators on the Internet, of any of the 50 states," said Attorney General Bill McCollum about the recent news.

Hopefully, other states take notice and focus more money and energy on this issue.

I don't know about you, but watching those Dateline NBC investigations gives me a new perspective on cyber crimes against children. Have you seen the series? They set up sting operations to catch men who solicit children online for sexual purposes.

No longer do I envision some scary-looking menacing pervert when I think about protecting my children. Instead I am even more afraid. These men come from "normal backgrounds," and include everything from "happily married family men" to rabbis. They are still menacing and perverted, but they are also likely to be someone's father, brother, neighbor.

This is an issue that really needs to be explored further. Look for future articles for more information on protecting your children. And meanwhile, let's go ahead and applaud Florida for taking some steps in the right direction.

Mary Ann Romans writes about her family's money saving secrets in the Frugal Living Blog here at Families.com

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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