Law Enforcement Officers to Be Trained on June 1 About 'Sexting' and Preventing Crimes...

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Wed May 27, 2009 8:01am EDT 

Law Enforcement Officers to Be Trained on June 1 About 'Sexting' and
Preventing Crimes of Exploitation of Children

NEW BEDFORD, Mass., May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Internet safety experts will train
local law enforcement officers to fight online exploitation, including
'sexting,' and will educate students through i-SAFE education and awareness
programs. The June 1 session also certifies law enforcement professionals to
train students to be safe and responsible online. The event kicks off a week
of 25 Internet safety seminars at schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

    WHEN:              Monday, June 1
                       Law enforcement training: 9-11 a.m.
                       News conference: 11-11:30 a.m.
                       Student assembly: 12:30 p.m.

    WHERE:             New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School
                       1121 Ashley Blvd.
                       New Bedford, Mass.

    WHO:               Jonathan King, director of professional development and
                       outreach for i-SAFE, will train law enforcement
                       officers from offices of U.S. Attorney, Massachusetts
                       and  Rhode Island  attorneys general, Massachusetts
                       State Police, Worcester County District Attorney,
                       Massachusetts Juvenile Probation, and the Attleboro,
                       Lakeville, Marion, North Attleboro, Mansfield and
                       Swansea police departments and the Bristol County
                       Sheriff.

    NOTE TO REPORTERS
    AND PHOTOGRAPHERS: Training classes with law enforcement officers and the
                       student assembly are open to the media.

                       Interviews with all participants can be arranged.


BACKGROUND: Area law enforcement officials, as well as students, parents, and
educators, will learn of the dangers of sexting -- sending or receiving a text
message that has sexual content -- and other risky Internet practices in a
day-long June 1 summit at New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High
School. Other topics to be covered include cyber predators, cyber gangs, cyber
bullying, identity theft, leetspeak (online code words), mobile romance
(dating services over cell phones), and MMORPGS (multiplayer online games).

The summit, co-hosted by Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson and New
Bedford Police Chief Ron Teachman, kicks off a week of 25 Internet safety
events at schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Verizon and i-SAFE, the
leader in online safety education, have teamed up to hold this Cyber Safety
Week, from June 1-5.

Among the 7.6 million students receiving i-SAFE training nationally, i-SAFE
currently educates more than 235,000 students in Massachusetts and Rhode
Island. This week-long series of events and trainings is expected to reach at
least 75,000 more students in the two states. The i-SAFE training sessions
will also raise Internet safety awareness among law enforcement and parents in
communities throughout these two states.

The sessions, funded by more than $100,000 in grants from the Verizon
Foundation, will take place throughout the week in New Bedford, Attleboro,
Lynn, Lawrence, Leominster, Mansfield, Massachusetts, and in Cranston and
Pawtucket, Rhode Island


SOURCE  Verizon

Jeff Godlis, i-SAFE Director of Communications, +1-760-603-7911, ext. 39,
jgodlis@isafe.org; or Phil Santoro of Verizon, +1-617-743-4760,
philip.g.santoro@verizon.com
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