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Many groups & individuals are working together to keep our kids safe in cyberspace.

In addition to prevention there are also avenues available to adults & children for dealing with crimes after they've happened.

These elite agencies can't possibly handle the problem without help. The bad guys spend twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week trying to abuse the system & find new ways to lure kids, defraud senior citizens, or steal what isn't theirs. A typical law-enforcement officer works eight hours a day, five days a week.

Some US law-enforcement agencies have been designated as the first line of defense where US laws apply in cyberspace, but there is no law-enforcement group specifically charged with enforcing the law on the Internet.

Part of the problem in enforcing laws online is the lack of cyber-training & resources for law enforcement. It's hard enough for law-enforcement groups to locate criminals in their own jurisdictions without having to track web site operators & cyberpredators located anywhere in the world.

The Department of Justice has created special regional task forces to address the problem & train local law-enforcement agencies around the country. The typical local police officer who had a family AOL account, & was therefore the agency's expert on the Internet, is quickly giving way to new high-tech teams. But budgetary restraints, lack of high-tech tools, & the need for training have made it a struggle for law enforcement to keep up. The US federal government has now made protecting our children in cyberspace a priority. Both the FBI & the US Customs Cybersmuggling Unit have received much-needed funding (not enough, but it's a start), & high-tech training centers are being built to train law enforcement in cyber-investigations.