WNEM TV 5 Midland County sheriff doing his part to keep children safe on the internet

Midland County Sheriff Jerry Nielsen wants children to be safe on the internet. He's offering parental internet monitoring software to any parent who wants to make sure their kids are safe when using the internet.

"It's really an eye-opener when you look at some of the things that have happened out there. And how easy it is to really get into a mess that you really can't get out of," Nielsen said.

The program is called Computer Cop. It works by placing a disk inside the computer. Then the software scans the computer's hard drive for any inappropriate images or language that a child might've seen on the internet. Parents can use this information to talk to kids about what they're doing on the Web.

"I have heard that it's helped the parents get into discussions with their children as to some of the things that's going on in their computer. And it's really helped them, and they feel it makes it much safer," Nielsen said.

Protecting children against internet predators isn't the only thing that Computer Cop is good for. Nielsen says the software also helps with the growing problem of cyber bullying.

"Usually your bullies are using some of this language, you know, 'I'm going to beat you' or something of that nature. And this will pick up on it, so it'll be there," Nielsen said.

The sheriff tells WNEM that he has about 200 disks left. He says he would be more than happy to provide this software to anyone who needs it.

"I don't care if you're from Midland, Saginaw or Bay City. It makes no difference, we're here after the safety of everyone," Nielsen said.

Anyone interested in the Computer Cop software can call the Midland County Sheriff's Department at 989-839-4609.

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