Democratic Party attorney-general nominee Steve Shannon rolled out his plan to make the Internet a safer place for kids in Virginia on Thursday after he toured the Northern Virginia “Internet Crimes Against Children” Task Force Headquarters in Fairfax.
During the tour Shannon met with state law enforcement officials and received a briefing on police efforts to monitor, investigate and prosecute individuals who distribute child pornography and solicit and entice Virginia’s children over the Internet. During the briefing he viewed a demonstration of how police track the more than 20,000 people in Virginia who are sending and receiving images and videos of children, some as young as infants, being raped and sexually abused.
“As a former prosecutor, a delegate and a father, I believe keeping Virginia’s kids safe from predators is not a political issue, it is a mandatory requirement,” said Shannon. “If I am elected attorney general I will work with law enforcement, state and local government and Virginia parents to make the Internet safer for our kids and crack down on the people committing these awful crimes.”
Shannon’s plan takes a comprehensive approach to reducing Internet crimes against children in Virginia and bringing those who commit them to justice. As attorney general Shannon will increase the number of individuals in the Attorney General’s Computer Crimes Unit who focus on Internet crimes against children. He will also use his prerogative as attorney general to personally prosecute these cases in the courtroom to raise public awareness of these crimes.
Shannon will work to get state and local law enforcement the personnel and resources they need to investigate, arrest and prosecute the tens of thousands of people in Virginia who are using the internet to send and receive child pornography and solicit and entice children. His plan also calls for tougher penalties and mandatory minimums for individuals who are convicted of these vicious crimes.
Finally, as attorney general Shannon will make sure that Virginia parents have the information they need to keep an eye on their kids’ Internet activities and educate them about how to stay safe online.
On a conference call today with Virginia reporters Shannon said, “I am running for attorney general because I believe we can make Virginia safer for our kids and I know I have the experience, the temperament and the ideas to get the job done. Together we can work to ensure that anyone who uses the Internet to violate or abuse a child in Virginia will go to jail.”
Shannon’s plan to reduce internet crimes against children is the second in a series of policy proposals; the first focused on combating drunk driving in Virginia by increasing penalties and educating teens and young adults about the dangers of driving drunk.
To view a copy of Shannon’s “Plan to Crack Down on Internet Predators,” click here – www.shannon2009.com/files/internetpredators.pdf.
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