Pornography fight going to Washington

Bedford County Sheriff's Office will present plan to protect children to top lawmakers in Congress

by Erin Martin

BEDFORD -- Members of the Sheriff's Office will make a trip to Capitol Hill later this month to brief Congress on the county's program to protect children from pornography and pedophiles.

"We are delighted to say the least," said Sheriff Mike Brown of the invitation received three weeks ago.  "The men and women of Blue Ridge Thunder deserve the credit."

The project, Operation Blue Ridge Thunder, involves three stages they will share with the U.S. Congressional Internet Caucus.  Educating children and the community on safe Internet surfing, investigating child pornography cases and lobbying for stiffer penalties are all part of the program, Brown said.

Bedford County was one of 10 agencies in the country to receive $200,000 each from the U.S. Department of  Justice in 1998 and is the smallest.  Other departments were from large urban areas such as Dallas, Sacramento, Calif., and Broward County, Fla.  Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th District, is one of the Internet Caucus' chairmen.  He notified Sheriff Brown of the grant and saw firsthand the kind of work the task force does.  Deputies demonstrated the kinds of images they see daily, how they track cases and the importance of bringing attention to child pornography.

"I saw exactly what they were doing and took part in some of the education efforts that show the positives of the Internet and what to stay away from," Goodlatte said.  The trip on Sept. 30 marks the first time a Virginia law enforcement agency has briefed Congress.  Brown and the Blue Ridge Thunder team will address more than 150 representatives and senators, including Majority Whip Tom DeLay, Majority Leader Trent Lott, Sen. Strom Thurmond and Sen Edward Kennedy.

"It's kind of a Who's Who of American Congressmen," Brown said.  In addition to Goodlatte, Sen. Charles Robb, D-Virginia, and other Virginia representatives are on the caucus.

Goodlatte has opened the briefing to any representatives and staff members who are interested.  Brown said he hopes to convey the enormity of the child pornography problem, because many do not understand the size of the industry.  With 50 million children online for as much as five to seven hours a night, pedophiles have a much larger pool of potential targets, he said.

"We see literally thousands of transmitting images every day," he said.  "What we look for is not just the downloading or transfer of an image, but them talking about harming a child or that they have harmed a child."

Goodlatte said his reason for inviting the agency is two-fold.

"I want Congressmen to see firsthand the nature of what is out there.  It's repulsive," he said.  "I also want them to see what an effective operation can do.  This impacts other parts of the country and is money well spent.  Our hope is for them to see it online, in real time."

He hopes to raise awareness and encourage funding at federal, state and local levels, he said.  Bedford County is the only agency addressing the caucus that day.

Investigators with the operation have seen convictions of all eight pedophiles who have been arrested and tried.  Sizteen cases are in various phases of the judicial system, while 50 to 60 need more evidence.  Half of those cases have been referred to other jurisdictions.

While the task force gives priority to pedophiles targeting the county, the grant requires them to investigate nationally, Brown said.  He is pursuing contacts with the Beach Boys, hoping they might endorse a "safe surfin'" campaign.

The Congressional briefing will focus not only on convicting criminals, but on the influence small, local law agencies can have in deterring pornography in their jurisdiction.

"It's not just up to the big agencies," said Sgt. Sergio Kopelev, task force supervisor.  "It's up to any agency."

The office's productivity helped pave its way to Congress, Kopelev said.  Much of that comes from recent law changes that educate students and heighten penalties.

The first offense for possession of child pornography, formerly a Class 3 misdemeanor, is now a Class 1 misdemeanor.  That increases jail time to up to a year and up to $2,500 fine.

With a Class 3 misdemeanor, and officer couldn't arrest the pedophile.  He just ticketed them," Kopelev said.

Statutes on solicitation of sex from minors is now broader, and those convicted for possession and distribution have to forfeit their computers.  Another change is adding pornographers to the sex offender registry.

In their defense, pedophiles historically argued explicit Internet language was not a sex offense, so adding names to the registry was a milestone, Kopelev said.

"Whether someone does the act in person or over Instant Messenger, it's the same," he said.  "Now no one can argue it is not a sex offense."

The education program for the county's fourth through seventh graders reached about 3,300 students last year.  It taught them safe practices for Internet use, such as getting parental permission, not releasing personal information online and telling an adult if something online makes them uncomfortable.

"I like my guys to do some of the teaching because it reminds them why we're doing this," Kopelev said.

Another issue they will address to Congress is the lack of exposure officers have to Internet crimes.

"If someone calls to say there is a suspicious man in Liberty Lake Park, they know what to do.  They go down there and interview the guy," Kopelev said.  "But when someone calls to say there is a suspicious mane in their child's chat room, they shrug.  They don't know what to do."