COP IN BOX Huntington Police Receive Computer System To Track Child Predators
Reported by: Dave Benton
Videographer: Kenney Barnett
Web Producer: Dave Benton
Reported: Oct. 9, 2012 7:11 PM EDT
Updated: Oct. 10, 2012 7:34 AM EDT
EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
Huntington
, Cabell County
, West Virginia
Huntington Police got a $3,500 gift Tuesday morning. It's called the "Cop In A Box." Officer Eddie Prichard said, "In the computer world, it would be a fast computer. It has a lot of power, you need that for these types of crimes."
Prichard is talking about the computer system that allows police to find sexual predators in chat rooms, or those who are trading child pornography.
The Safe Surfin' Foundation and Moose International donate the equipment to police departments and even train them on the system. Prichard says there's definitely a need in this area. "It's a growing problem. It's a silent crime. Almost anybody who wants to deal with any sort of exploitation on-line by trading pictures with kids or among themselves, that's a private crime. The only people able to catch these criminals are officers actively using available programs developed to track these people down."
Ryan Vickers is your typical teenager on-line a lot for school and socializing. News of the Cop In A Box in his hometown is good news for his father. David Vickers said, "I think it's a great aide in keeping our kids safe. We can put our own filters on and monitor where they go, but to keep predators away is an added value or bonus to Huntington and the whole area."
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Dave Benton
