A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety

Dear Parents and Concerned Citizens,

Operation Blue Ridge Thunder is working 24 hours a day to keep you and your family safe.  Many do not realize that crimes exploiting children can occur in our homes and at any time.  These crimes which victimize our children occur via the Internet.   Because the "World Wide Web" (www) is a part of many households, schools, and libraries in Bedford County, our department and the Commonwealth Attorney's office are determined to fight crimes that affect our citizens, even when those crimes occur on the "roads" of the Internet.

  The impetus for Operation Blue Ridge Thunder came when a 14-year-old Bedford County, Virginia, girl was solicited over the Internet by a Florida man who wanted to put her in a pornographic movie.  What began as Sheriff Mike Brown's response to that concerned mother has grown to encompass a premier group of cooperating law enforcement agencies -- federal, regional, state and local -- working together around the globe and around the clock to educate law abiding citizens and to bring perpetrators to justice.

  The educational arm of Operation Blue Ridge Thunder is designed to help you and your family make wise decisions when using the incredible "information superhighway" of the Internet.  Much like a bookstore, where a majority of the material is suitable, the Internet has a vast array of valuable information yet possesses certain areas that are inappropriate -- even dangerous -- for children (and  parents).  Supervision is necessary and wise decisions are crucial.

  Think you're safe and anonymous online? Think again.

  You may have seen the national headlines:  the Bedford County Sheriff's Office was one of only 10 law enforcement agencies in America to receive a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Dept. of Justice to continue its high-tech war against the sexual exploitation of children on the Internet.  The other nine agencies awarded this grant are some of the largest in the country, (e.g. Dallas, Sacramento, Broward County, FL, etc.), whereas the Bedford County Sheriff's Office is among the smallest.  US Dept. of Justice official Ron Laney said of the BCSO, "It's very unusual for a department that small to be as aggressive as they are and to do what they've done."

  The exploitation of children over the Internet is greater than we know, than our government acknowledges or statistics express.  Operation Blue Ridge Thunder is the code name for our efforts to fight child exploitation, in Bedford County, in Virginia and the United States.  We are not merely reactive, we are proactive, diligently working to apprehend perpetrators, protect victims, and educate parents, teachers, and children.  Our goal is "to weave a seamless web of protection around our youth."  We hope you will join us in our efforts.

Randy C. Krantz, Commonwealth's Attorney