May 15, 1998

Internet crime the newest policing challenge

When Edmonton police officers slipped in an innocent game of computer solitaire while they were supposed to be hard at work, they never guessed it would lead to the inauguration of a high-powered Internet crime-fighting squad.

"Once the officers were caught, my job involved going through all the computers and removing the games," Detective Dave Johnson told an audience of 200 at Lister Hall on Friday. "That was the beginning of the technological crimes unit."

Johnson and his partner Detective George Sidor were speakers in a workshop entitled "Protecting Yourself on the Internet," part of the kickoff to Alberta Crime Prevention Week. The lecture, one of several during the day, was co-sponsored by the U of A, the Edmonton Police Service and the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association.

Since the inception of the crime unit in 1996, Johnson and Sidor have investigated crimes ranging from pedophilia to computer hackers. Aside from reducing criminal activity, their aim is to warn parents, teachers and children about the "dark side" of the Internet.

"Pedophiles used to have to hang out at playgrounds and wait for kids," said Johnson. "Now they're anonymous on the Internet. You never know who you are really talking to."

Johnson cited a recent case where the police received a frantic call from the mother of a 13-year-old girl who was planning to take a band trip with the school. The student was chatting with someone on the Internet who said he was an 18-year-old male from the same U.S. city the band was planning to visit. After they made plans to meet, the local police contacted investigators in the American city who checked the boy's address, school and then, the entire city. The person did not exist.

The mother put an end to the trip, but had the girl gone, Sidor and Johnson are convinced something would have happened to her.

"What would probably have happened is a 45 or 50 year-old man would have posed as an uncle of the boy and that would be the last time you see that little girl," said Johnson.

Other risks with children on the Internet involve adult sites, which are not illegal and are widely available. Often these sites can be stumbled upon quite accidentally, said Johnson.

"I had a friend who was into cooking and was interested in looking up Hungarian Goulash on the Internet," he said. "Evidently in the Dakotas there is a male stripper called Hungarian Goulash who is not afraid to post publicity photos on the web.

"So that kind of thing is something to look out for as well."

In the past the university population has not been specifically targeted but scams such as pyramid schemes and get-rich-quick cons are often used to prey upon students, Johnson said after the workshop.

In terms of crime originating from the university, Johnson has dealt with computer hackers as well as users posting things on the World Wide Web that are illegal in Canada. "We investigated and laid charges," he said.

The best advice to users of the Internet is "beware of dangers, use good parental supervision and protect yourself," said Sidor.

"We don't want to scare people away from the Internet," he said. "It's a great, great tool. But if we can go into schools and educate and get the word out maybe we can prevent a crime tomorrow."

Folio front page

Office of Public Affairs

University of Alberta