Week 9 of the Garland Citizens Police Academy covered the Youth Crimes Unit as well as deadly force/use of force.
Detective Tony Godwin, a 25-year Garland Police Department veteran, talked to the group about the Youth Crimes Unit and internet crimes against children. This part of the class was especially difficult as it included heart-wrenching stories about child abuse, as well as illustrations of the results of the abuse.
Crimes against children include those of a sexual nature like indecency with a child, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, indecency with a child and more. Other forms of crimes against children include physical and mental abuse, as well as neglect.
Internet crimes against children include pornography and online solicitation. The class learned about the techniques of online predators, as well as law enforcement’s efforts to combat them. Not having school-aged children at home anymore has left me woefully uninformed about some of the many challenges that kids now face. There are people who try to get kids to text naked photos of themselves and others try to blackmail them into meeting for sex. Many are of the predators are adults posing as young people.
Parents should report Inappropriate online activity to the police department. If your children receive inappropriate texts or photos, do not delete them. Also, do not forward them to your phone as you have then committed the crime of transmitting child pornography.
Teens spend an average of 39 hours per week online, 3.5 hours instant messaging and two hours on YouTube. The more they are online, the greater the chance of being contacted by a predator.
Godwin said that parents who block specific things on their computers are not preventing any of these problems. Teenagers are way more technology savvy than parents and can easily figure out how to get around the blocks.
His advice is to keep the computer in a common room, tell teens to whom they may talk online, limit their amount of time online and be aware of which sites they are visiting. Check their texts and photos often as well. There are ways to hide things on smartphones. App icons are not always what they appear to be. A calculator icon or music manager icon, when clicked on, could be a hiding place for pornography.
Detective Gary Sweet talked about the use of force then demonstrated techniques used by police officers. Several class members participated in the demonstration as the person being subdued and handcuffed.
He also explained why things are not always the way they look on video and how the adrenaline produced in dangerous incidents can affect the perception of the situation.
When we are under stress or in danger, our sympathetic nervous system activates the flight or fight response. As a result, the heart rate is elevated and the higher it goes, the more motor skills are affected. Blood flow to the large muscles is increased to help the person fight or run, so blood flow to other parts of the body is decreased. This can affect hearing and cause tunnel vision.
Check back soon for an article on the SWAT and Bomb units and a report of our Oct. 19 trip to the shooting range and tactical driving lessons.