Missouri First Family Promotes Internet Safety with Keep Safe Coalition and Faux Paw the Techno Cat

August 21, 2007 -- KANSAS CITY – Missouri Governor Matt Blunt and First Lady Melanie Blunt today visited Line Creek Elementary students to promote Internet Safety programs that are helping keep children safe from online predators. Faux Paw the Techno Cat, the star of a book that helps teach children about the dangers of the Internet, joined the First Family to reinforce the importance of online safety.

“In today’s electronic age it is imperative children understand potential dangers of the Internet as well as some basic tools to protect themselves,” Gov. Blunt said. “I have signed some of the toughest laws in the nation to fight online predators and sex offenders and, in addition, I am committed to equipping our children with the knowledge they need to stay safe on the Internet.”

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“The Internet is a powerful tool and, as with any tool, we must instruct our children on how to use it safely,” Mrs. Blunt said. “With the growing risk that the Internet poses to our children, Faux Paw and the Keep Safe Coalition are great tools to help parents teach their children how to steer clear of Internet predators.”

Gov. and Mrs. Blunt visited the elementary school’s computer lab where they read Faux Paw the Techno Cat, Adventures in the Internet. The book is part of the Internet Keep Safe Coalition’s efforts to educate children about online threats. The star of the book, Faux Paw, also joined the first family to reiterate the importance of Internet safety and remind students to Keep Safe, Keep Away and Keep Telling. More information about Faux Paw and the Keep Safe Coalition, as well as resources for children, parents and educators are available on the Internet at http://www.ikeepsafe.org/.

Gov. Blunt has been a leader in the ongoing efforts to protect Missouri’s children from dangerous sexual predators. His leadership has ensured Missouri has one of the toughest versions of Jessica’s Law in the nation, by mandating a lifetime sentence with a minimum of 30 years for serious sexual crimes that are committed against young children and calls for certain sex offenders to be monitored their entire lives.

Blunt also closely monitored action last month when MySpace.com, a social networking site that can be used to communicate directly with children, announced it had deleted the online profiles of 29,000 convicted sex offenders from its service. He had called on MySpace and other similar sites to be more vigilant about its users.

Blunt’s Internet Cyber Crimes Task Forces and Cyber Crime Grant Program distributes funding to support detectives’ salaries, training and computer forensic personnel who focus on preventing and controlling Internet cyber crime ultimately improving public safety. The governor signed a budget providing a total of $1.25 million for the cyber grant program including $250,000 in grants for equipment purchases and a half million increase he recommended.

The governor has also worked to expand the state’s sexual offender registry and add new tools to make it a more powerful resource for parents and law enforcement officials.

The governor recently approved $150,000 for the INOBTR (text shorthand for “I Know Better”) to help fight against online sexual predators. The funds support a public awareness campaign and education initiative designed to help Missouri parents and students learn about the latest issues facing kids online, become active in the fight to stop Internet predators, and protect children online.

Source: Missouri Governor