The Times Argus reports that at a summit on internet safety in Montpelier on Monday, "law enforcement officials said that Vermont teenagers are increasingly vulnerable to a criminal element that veils itself behind the anonymity of the virtual world." According to the police, "internet-aided sex crimes have risen dramatically in recent years." For example in 1998, "Vermont police investigated one case involving an online predator" while last year, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force "examined the computers of about 200 suspects charged with a sex offense."

Steve DeBrota, a nationally recognized expert on online predatory techniques, said that "ensuring healthy Internet behavior means becoming involved in children's online lives." De Brota added, "If you want to protect minors, you first have to understand them and how they interact with others in this world. A lot of safety messages have been based on banning access. I don't think that's possible anymore. Now I think we need to empower good choices."

Notably, "Vermont is investing more law-enforcement resources to clamp down on internet predators. A $250,000 federal grant from the Department of Justice will fund three part-time investigators. Much of their time will be spent posing as potential victims, snaring would-be predators who try to arrange illicit meetings with their underage targets."

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