Welcome to Child Protection Tips

Local Sex Offender List Information

Since Megan's Law was established, local sex offender lists' information is required to be made public by law in every state. The information that is required may differ slightly from state to state. Not all of the information that is documented is made public, however.
Public information typically includes the following:
* Name
* Date of birth
* General physical description
* Current address
* Date of offense
* Nature of offense
* Compliance with treatment requirements
* Any outstanding warrants.
Those individuals who are classified as "high risk" sexual offenders due to the nature and/or number of occurrences of the crimes committed may be required to give addtional information, such as the following:
* Name and phone number of the Deptment of Correction's Office that has jurisdication
* Reason for the "high risk" label
Other information is required but not generally published, such as Social Security number, driver's license, and home phone number.

Child ID Kit

Many parents think that it isn't necessary to obtain a child id kit until their child is of school age. Because their child will be away from them every weekday, they reason that this is when the necessity of a kit becomes important.

Contrary to popular belief, a child identification kit should be created as soon as your child is born. If the unthinkable should happen, such as your child becoming kidnapped, you would have immediate access to pertinent identification information with a child id kit. As your child grows, you will need to change out the photographs in the child id kit so that you always have a current picture on hand. Fingerprints and DNA samples, however, will not change and are very important in identifying your child.

Characteristics of Offenders Who Commit Violent Crimes Against Children

The following statistics were taken from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics' Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities concerning the characteristics of offenders who commit violent crimes against children. They include the following:

* More than three-fourths of violent crimes against children occurred either in the offender's home or the victim's place of residence.
* More than half of the negligent manslaughter offenders' crimes occurred in a public place, such as a park or a street.
* Eight out of ten crimes by convicted sex offenders and/or child molesters in their own homes were forcible rapes or sexual assaults.
* Only one in seven offenders reported using a weapon to perpetrate the offense against the child victim.
* More than 40% of the child victims of convicted offenders suffered forcible, rape, injury or death as a result of the crime.

Mission Impossible: Interpreting Computer Code

You've taken every step to ensure your child's safety on the Internet. The computer is in a family room or high-traffic room, you've installed your parental filters and you monitor your child's online activity. But do you know what your kids are saying online? If you've ever looked over the shoulder of your computer savvy teen while he/she is typing, you've probably wondered, "What does that mean?" when reading their words.
While some of these acronyms are basic and simply conversational, others are shocking and sexual. Keep reading, parents! This tip will help you decipher the lingo used to communicate over the Internet and in chat rooms, and help you protect your child from online predators.

2NITE = Tonight
A/S/L or ASL = Age/Sex/Location
AB = Ass Backwards
ABITHIWTIDB = A Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush
ADR = Address
AEAP = As Early As Possible
ALAP = As Late As Possible
ASAP =As Soon As Possible
BEG = Big Evil Grin
BF = Boyfriend
BOHICA= Bend Over Here It Comes Again
BTDT = Been There Done That
BWO = Black, White or Other
BYKT = But you Knew That
CTC = Choking The Chicken
CYT or SYT = See You Tomorrow
DIKU = Do I Know You?
DYFM = Dude You Fascinate Me
EG = Evil Grin
EWI = E-mailing While Intoxicated
F2F = Face To Face
GAL = Get a life
GALGAL= Give A Little Get A Little
GF = Girlfriend
H&K or HAK= Hug and Kiss
I 1-D-R = I Wonder
IDTS = I Don't Think So
ILU or ILY = I Love You
INNW = If Not Now, When
IPN = I'm Posting Naked
IRL = In Real Life
IWSN = I Want Sex Now
IYKWIMAITYD = If You Know What I Mean And I Think You Do
JAFO = Just Another F***ing Onlooker
JT = Just Teasing
KFY = Kiss For You
KIT = Keep in Touch
KOC = Kiss on Cheek
KOL= Liss on Lips
KPC = Keeping Parents Clueless
KYPO = Keep Your Pants On
LD = Long Distance
LDR = Long Distance Relationship
LMIRL = Let's Meet In Real Life
LMK = Let Me Know
LTR = Long term relationship
LY = Love You
M/F or MorF = Male or Female
MOOS or MOTOS = Member Of The Opposite Sex
MOSS or MOTSS = Member Of The Same Sex
MOTAS = Member Of The Appropriate Sex
MTF = More to Follow
MUSM = Miss You So Much
MWBRL = More Will Be Revealed Later
NALOPKT = Not A Lot of People Know That
NAZ = Name, Address, Zip
NIFOC= Nude/Naked In Front Of The Computer
NP = Nosy Parents
OLL = On-Line Love
OM = Old Man
P&C = Private and Confidential
P911 = Parent Alert
PAL = Parents Are Listening
PANB = parents are Nearby
PAW = Parents Are Watching
PM = Private Message
POS = Parent Over Shoulder
RFS = Really F***ing Soon
RMLB = Read My Lips Baby
RUMORF = Are You Male Or Female
RUUP4IT = Are You Up For It
SCNR = Sorry, Could Not Resist
SITCOMs = Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage
SMEM = Send Me E-Mail
SMIM = Send Me an Instant Message
SNAG = Sensitive New Age Guy
SO = Significant Other
SOMY = Sick of Me, Yet?
SorG = Straight or Gay?
STM = Spank The Monkey
SWAK = Sealed With A Kiss
TAW = Teachers Are Watching
TDTM = Talk Dirty To Me
TIA = Thanks in Advance
TIAIL = Think I Am In Love
TILII = Tell it Like it is
TMTOWTDI = There's More Than One Way To Do It
TNC = Tongue In Cheek
TNT = ‘Till Next Time
TOPCA = ‘Til Our Paths Cross Again
TOY = Thinking of You
TTT = Thought That Too
TWIWI = That Was Interesting, Wasn't It?
WFM = Works For Me
WIBNI = Wouldn't It Be Nice If
WIIFM = What's In It For Me?
WITFITS = What in the F*** is this Sh**
WTGP = Want To Go Private?
WTH = What/Who the Heck
WTRN = What's Your Real Name?
WUF = Where Are You From?
WYCM = Will You Call Me?
WYSIWYG = What You See Is What You Get

*This information was compiled from various online sources including,
www.Netlingo.com, www.missingkids.com and www.connectingwithkids.com.

Release of a Sex Offender

Typically a registered sexual offenders list is maintained by a state agency. There are also national registered sexual offenders lists. Usually a state's Department of Corrections and Human Services is responsible for informing local law enforcement about the release of a sex offender.
The law agency or county prosecutor will determine the degree of risk from that sex offender. Once this is done, a proposed scope of notification is created. The public may then be notified. If not, the public can still access a registered sexual offender list online.

IM and Chat Room Safety Tips

Many parents are surprised to discover that children as young as seven and eight years old are entering chat rooms or using the IM (instant messaging) feature on their computers. With preteens and teens, this is a common occurrence. Children no longer spend hours on the phone chatting with a friend. Instead, they can talk to any number of friends by visiting a chat room or instant messaging, and this is their preferred source of communicating.

Go over the following tips with your child to help her protect herself from online predators.

* Never give out any personal information, including a name, phone number, password, picture, address, and school name.
* Do not enter a chat room unless you have permission from your parents.
* Do not respond to instant messages from people you don't know.
* Never meet a person who has contacted you online without your parent along.

Exclusion from Megan's Law List

Not all sex offenders are listed under Megan's Law lists. In fact, approximately 25% of registered sex offenders are excluded from public disclosure. This is based on the type of crime committed, however.
The Megan's Law sex offender tracking program determines who can receive an exclusion. Offenders can apply for exclusion, but only if their crime falls under one of the following categories.

* Misdemeanor Child Molestation- This falls under Penal Cod 647.6
* Sexual Battery by Restraint-This falls under Penal Cod 243.4
* An offence which didn't involve penetration or oral copulation, the victim of which was a child, stepchild, grandchild, or sibling of the offender, and for which the offender has successfully finished or is finishing probation.

Although these Megan's law offenders are not listed on an Internet registry, they must still register as a sex offender and continue to update their registration.

How Can You Raise Public Awareness of Sex Offenders?

As concerned citizens, many times people just want to know what they can do to raise public awareness of sexually oriented crimes. What can you do?

In order to stay continually updated and informed, you can periodically check websites that lists offenders convicted of sex crimes on state databases. You can also make sure that your local law agencies are doing all they can to continue to inform the citizens of your community when sexual offenders move into the area.

If you are concerned about the schools in your area, you can also talk to administration and ask them how often they check the sex offenders lists that are listed on the state's database.

How Can You Tell If Your Child is the Target of a Sex Offender?

Each state maintains a sex offenders list, and regularly updates the list as sex offenders are released from confinement or as they move from one residence to another. Because sex offenders are difficult to rehabilitate, the risk of rearrest is real.

One of the easiest ways for sexual offenders to make new contacts with their victims is through the use of the Internet. How can you tell if your child is at risk?

* You do a history search on your computer and find pornography. (Sexual offenders often send pornography and sexually explicit materials to their victims.
* Your child spends a lot of time online and is secretive about what she is doing. (She may already be in an online relationship with a sexual predator.)
* Your child receives phone calls either on her cell phone or your home phone from people you don't recognize. (Be sure and check your child's cell phone records and inquire about any strange phone numbers.)
* Your child appears to become withdrawn from family and friends. (Online predators seek to isolate their victims from family and friends.)