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Highlands Today

Computer Cop

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By GARY PINNELL

Highlands Today

Published: August 4, 2008

SEBRING - Just their luck. Robert Jordan's kids have the sheriff's Internet administrator for a dad. They can't get away with anything on the home computer.

But for parents who aren't technology gurus, Susan Benton has a freebie: Computer Cop.

"I myself have three children," said Jordan. "I have some software, but it's pretty complicated, and it costs hundreds of dollars. When Sheriff Benton handed me this, I said, this is great. It's a very simple program."

Even non-techies can easily understand Computer Cop, Jordan said. It has two basic functions:

• A tutorial shows parents how to use Internet resources to safeguard their children; what to look for and how to guard their children against chat room jackals who try to engage underage kids in conversations; and how to lock the computer so it can't be used for e-mail, instant messaging or Internet surfing.

Chat rooms are public meeting places on the Internet, and any computer user in the room can read what's being written. But sometimes, children are invited into private chat rooms by adults.

"A private chat is higher risk," Jordan said. "It's something to watch for."

•The second function is a program which installs on the computer. Parents can see Internet photos which have been opened on the computer. Computer Cop also tracks keystrokes, so parents can see where their children have been since the last time the program was used. Finally, the program analyzes instant messages and e-mail for words like "crash," drug jargon for coming down from a high, or a place to stay and sleep.

Jordan warned his children that he could see Web pages where they've been on the computer, and who they've talked to in chat rooms.

"That depends on your parenting style," Benton said. "The parents set rules, and some might want to warn their kids. Others won't want to say anything. They need an ace in the hole. That's the choice they need to make. Computer Cop gives them that choice. It's a great tool."

For $40,000 in drug seizure funds, Benton bought 10,000 copies, enough computer disks for every parent of every school child in Highlands County.

"Forty thousand dollars is a lot of money," Benton said. "But it's nothing compared to the life a child who is missing, who gets snatched. And we could probably spend $40,000 in one day investigating a case of a child who is missing. So we may be saving lots of dollars."

Finally, Jordan said, if a child is missing, a forensic investigator could spend days examining the hard drive on a computer, but find the information he needs in a few minutes through Computer Cop, if the child has been talking to a predator on-line.

Benton and Jordan plan to demonstrate the program at future parent and teacher meetings. More info: 402-7200.

Gary Pinnell can be reached at gpinnell@highlandstoday.com or 863 386-5828

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