Keeping Children Safe Through Smart Prevention And Intervention Efforts 

Cyber Protection Program

Through this program, District Attorney Leone brings together a team of prosecutors, state police, and investigators focused on the protection of children and all citizens on the Internet.

In 2007, District Attorney Gerry Leone created the Cyber Protection program, which is the office’s first-ever unit of prosecutors and investigators specifically focused on the protection of children and other citizens from the predatory dangers of the Internet.

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Cyber Protection Program is a team consisting of a coordinating Assistant District Attorney, other lawyers, State Police, and civilian forensic specialists. That team focuses on the investigation and prosecution of cases involving the use of computers to commit crimes and store evidence, including those who target children, the elderly and other vulnerable victims. It also will address financial and other related cyber crimes. In addition to its prosecutorial components, the program works to engage community and law enforcement partners to conduct county-wide trainings, build and develop public-private partnerships, launch pilot initiatives, and support the office’s pre-existing school and community-based prevention and intervention programs.

According to a recent survey by Emerson Hospital of 8,000 middle and high school students in school districts north and west of Boston, including numerous Middlesex County schools, more than 24% of high school students reported having given information about themselves over the Internet to someone with whom they had never met (19.5% of eighth graders had done so).

According to the same survey, 14.8% of high school students reported having met someone in person with whom they had initially contacted online (13.6% of eighth graders and 12.8% of sixth graders reported doing so).

According to a national survey conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, approximately one in seven youth reported having received unwanted sexual solicitations online. Four percent of all youth Internet users also reported receiving online solicitations for nude or sexually explicit photographs of themselves.

For tips on how to keep you and your family’s Internet use safe, please refer to the Internet Safety chapter within the Prevention section on our website.