Cyber cops go undercover as kids to net pedophiles

Keith Paul

Friday, Sept. 15, 2000 | 11:32 a.m.

Metro Police officers have gone undercover posing as drug dealers, prostitutes and gunrunners to catch criminals. Now detectives are heading undercover as 13-year-old girls and boys to hunt out pedophiles on the Internet.

An assortment of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies Thursday unveiled their new weapon against those who prowl the Internet looking for children -- a task force, training and new computers.

"Law enforcement in Nevada is now on the Internet. We'll be surfing the chat rooms," said Deputy Chief Ray Flynn, head of Metro's investigative services division. "If you're a pedophile on the Internet looking for victims, we'll find you and we will arrest you."

The U.S. Department of Justice gave Metro a $300,000 grant to pay for computers and training to better prepare cops to deal with Internet crimes. Metro joined with the FBI, the Clark County district attorney's office, Nevada and U.S. attorneys general offices, Henderson Police and others to form the task force.

"Schools have a pool of victims that can be taken advantage of," said Elliott Phelps, new Clark County School District Police chief. "These are crimes that can be perpetrated in secret."

To combat pedophiles trading child pornography over the Internet or using chat rooms to look for their next victim, detectives will be hitting computer bulletin boards and chat rooms posing as potential victims and armed with teenage lingo.

"Undercover work is just playing a role. We've been undercover as drug dealers and gun smugglers, now we'll be 13-year-old girls," said Metro Sgt. Tom Keller of the newly formed task force. "We're going to look for those who are going to try and lure children."

Police say 23.8 million children nationwide roam around the Internet, with 33 percent of them online five to seven days a week and 75 percent of them on at least two days a week. One in seven children claim they were approached with unwanted sexual advances online, police said.

All those teens and pre-teens could be targeted by pedophiles or child pornography purveyors.

"They (pedophiles) will travel 3,000 miles to meet an 11-year-old," Flynn said. "We need to educate the kids."

And education will also be a part of the task force. When Clark County students learn about the Internet in school, they will also learn about those who lurk in virtual anonymity trying to lure them into sexual liaisons.

"What we're looking for are the predators who are on the Internet for one reason, and one reason only, to find a child under the age of consent, build a trust with them and then victimize them," Flynn said.

Kathryn Landreth, U.S. attorney for Nevada, said the Internet has provided a shield for those preying on children and searching for child pornography. She added there have been 15 such cases in Nevada prosecuted in recent years.

Grant Ashley, special agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI office, said he unfortunately expects the task force will be very busy.

Flynn said police will not thwart people's First Amendment rights, but when the speech turns into attempts to lure young girls and boys to a location for sex, then the speech becomes a crime.

Pedophiles also make contact with children in chat rooms, develop a relationship and then say something like, "Can you take a picture of yourself with your top off and send it me?" Flynn said.