• Approximately one in five received sexual solicitation or approach over the Internet in the last year.
• One in thirty-three received an aggressive sexual solicitation -- a solicitor who asked to meet them somewhere, called them on the telephone, sent them regular e-mail, regular mail, money or gifts.
• One in four had an unwanted exposure to pictures of naked people or people having sex in the last year.
• One in seventeen was threatened or harassed.
• Approximately one quarter of young people who reported these incidents were distressed by them.
• About one quarter of the youth who encountered a sexual solicitation or approach told a parent.  Almost 40% of those reporting an unwanted exposure to sexual material told a parent.

• Keep your identity private.
• Never get together with someone you meet online.
• Never respond to any e-mail messages, chat comments or newsgroup, bulletin board or forum posts that are hostile, belligerent, inappropriate, or in any way make you feel uncomfortable.
• Talk with your parents about their expectations and ground rules for being online.

• Talk with your children about what they can and cannot do online.
• Be open with your children and encourage them to come to you if they encounter a problem online.
• Learn everything you can about the Internet, its benefits and dangers.
• Consider software that blocks and/or filters inappropriate content.

• General Browsing: There are many types of web sites.  Some can be highly informative and entertaining.  Others can be entirely pointless or contain illegal content.  Still others can contain sexually explicit images, usually labeled as "adult content."  Some of these sites may present a warning page, informing the user that the site contains pornographic images, but many do not.  You should always be aware that anything from a web address to a page's title, may imply that the site contains sexual content, and that just the opposite may also be true.
• Chat Rooms: Chat rooms are likely the most dangerous area on the Internet.  Any information shared in a chat room is visible to everyone else using it, regardless of who it was intended for.  In addition, people are not always who they seem to be online.  Many predators, sexual or otherwise, will not overtly ask for information but will gradually turn conversations in a direction that will give their victims a false sense of trust.  Always be wary of talking to someone you do not personally know, and never give out information that could be used to identify your location, your identity or that of anyone you know.
• E-mail: E-mail can easily be copied and forwarded to others, and is often done so unintentionally or without the realization by the person copying or forwarding the message that it could contain private information.  When forwarding messages or sending them to multiple people, always use the blind carbon copy (often labeled "BCC") field in your e-mail program, not the "To" or carbon copy (often labeled "CC") field, and remove any e-mail addresses that may be included in the body of the message.  Also be sure you know and trust the people you're sending sensitive information to.
• Newsgroups, Forums and Bulletin Boards: Much like chat rooms, these are often publicly visible forms of online discussion, even if the specific site in question requires users to register before posting.  Newsgroups and bulletin boards are the least safe in this group, as by their nature they are publicly available to anyone using a newsgroup client or viewing a web site that tracks newsgroups and bulletin boards (Google Groups, for example).  Forums are only slightly safer in that they are not tracked by various other web sites and they generally are focused on a specific topic, resulting in a limited number of users interested in that topic.  However, the same cautions still apply across the board.  Additionally, in many cases, the act of posting something to a newsgroup, bulletin board or forum makes your e-mail address publicly visible in each and every post you make.  A good idea is to create an e-mail address that you use only to stay anonymous while online and use it to register on any such site you plan to use.
• Be Careful Who You Trust: People may not be in real life who they seem to be online.  It is just as easy as it is in the real world, if not easier, for someone to misrepresent him- or herself online.
• Communicate Cautiously: When you communicate over the Internet with a stranger, you should not give out any information that you wouldn't give to a stranger on the street.
• "Facts" May Be Wrong: Not everything you read online is true, and many sites intentionally give out incorrect or misleading information.  Not all information presented as fact is, indeed, fact.  Additionally, just as in real life, offers that sound too good to be true most likely are.
• Be Alert: Use the same caution you would in dealing with offline matters.  Critical thinking is key.

     The Internet Crimes Unit is under the command of Sergeant Rick Richardson.