March 27, 2010

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Fairwood Area Safety Updates for March

Fairwood's Deputy Sam Shirley shares some news and trends that should be of concern to all our neighbors.

February Crime Re-cap
Residential burglaries increased to five from four in February.  We had no vehicle thefts or recoveries! 

Two robberies occured in the area: one at the Bank of America and one at a private residence.  Arrests were made in both of those crimes. 

Vehicle prowls increased slightly, please remember to lock your car doors.

The following information on sexting was authored by King County Volunteer Florence Pruitt and Deputy Tara Wilson. 

Last month in Fairwood there were two separate cases involving kids and improper use of cell phones. 

“Sexting”
Sexting (a combination of sex and texting) is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexting). It is when a person takes a sexually explicit photograph of him or herself or someone else, and sends it as an MMS and SMS via a mobile phone. These images can then be posted on the internet or forwarded electronically to other people.

Let’s look a little more closely at the subject.

Sexting and Its Possible Consequences
•     Sexting is currently illegal under federal law. It falls under the creation, distribution and possession of child porn and is a felony offense. For teens, the consequences of Sexting are the same for adults in most states, but could also prevent students from receiving college scholarships, job offers, in addition to the embarrassment of having your nude photographs floating around the Internet.
•     Photos and videos sent privately can easily be shared with others.
•     Once digital images are out there, they leave a digital footprint, especially online. You can't "take it back."
•     51% of teen girls cite pressure from guys as a reason to send explicit messages, while only 18% of teen boys say so.

What can parents do to help stop this? Here are some suggestions:
1) Parents need to be informed of this type of increasing behavior. (Parents: talk to your school's administration about this!)
2) Let your kids know that this is NOT just harmless fun. Possibly suggest that your schools invite someone from the law enforcement community to address the students and let them know that this behavior is a felony and what the legal ramifications can be.
3) Talk openly to your children about the risks involved.
4) Let kids know that their or others' reputations can be scarred for life.
5) Set clear rules about the children's proper behavior and expectations in using their cell phones.
6) Explain to the kids that once something is posted on the Internet, they can't change their mind and get it back. ANYTHING posted can haunt them for life and can be seen by anyone years in the future (potential college recruiters, employers, etc.).

One very valuable and user friendly resource is The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. CLICK HERE to visit their website.

One of the great programs that they offer to parents is called NetSmartz. NetSmartz411 is a first-of-its-kind, online service provided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to answer questions about Internet safety, computers, and the Web. NetSmartz411 is provided at no cost to the public and made possible by a generous donation from the Qwest Foundation.

CLICK HERE to visit this website.

They can answer many common questions like:
• How can I access my child's text messages?
• What is Omegle?
• How many teens are actually engaging in sexting?
• What do online abbreviations/acronyms mean?
• How can I protect my child’s online reputation?
• What does it mean to "tag" a photo on Facebook?
• Is monitoring software available for cell phones?
• How do I select the right monitoring software for my family?
• How can I protect my child when he or she uses a cell phone?
• What is Craigslist? What are some safety tips for using this site?

Educate yourself and help keep your kids safe and out of trouble!

Join or Start a Block Watch in your neighborhood
Neighborhood Watch, Block Watch, Town Watch, Building Watch,
Crime Watch...

Whatever the name, it’s one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent crime and reduce fear. Neighborhood Watch fights the isolation that crime both creates and feeds upon. It forges bonds among area residents, helps reduce burglaries and robberies, and improves relations between police and the communities they serve. 

If you are interested in starting a neighborhood watch please contact me (Sam Shirley) at the Fairwood Storefront Office.  The number is (206) 296-3846.   

Sex Offender Website – OffenderWatch®
CLICK HERE to link to the King County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender website.

Block watch Captains List
I am currently attempting to establish a list of Blockwatch Captains in the Fairwood area.  If you are a Blockwatch Captain, or know one, please email me with the information at Samuel.shirley@kingcounty.gov  

Washington Statewide Victim Information & Notification Service
The Washington Statewide Victim Information & Notification Service will tell you if an offender is in custody and will give you other important custody information.  This service will also let you leave a phone number where you want to be called automatically when that offender is released, transferred, escapes or dies.

You can register for this service from a touch-tone phone at 1-877-846-3492 or go to www.vinelink.com and follow the directions.

*Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs