Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins says a troubling trend is developing where local juveniles are sending, receiving and sharing nude photos of one another.
“In recent weeks and months, the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office and Leitchfield Police Department have been investigating numerous cases where nude photos of underage girls and boys are being shared with other underage students and adults,” Chaffins said. “Many of these cases start out where a girl sends naked photos/videos of herself to her ‘boyfriend’ and the boyfriend shares those photos with his friends, in some instances with permission or knowledge of the girl.”
Chaffins said he is also seeing male juveniles sharing photos of themselves with girls and other youth through the popular social media app Snapchat. Images are also being transmitted via text message and other electronic means, Chaffins added.
“What these teens may not realize is that many of these photos have a locator attached to them which would give a would-be child molester or thief the exact address and even the exact room of the house from where the photo was sent,” Chaffins stated. “Additionally, when a photo is sent electronically via a social media app it is likely that someone else has access to that photo. That someone else is likely a person that does not have the best interest at heart when it comes to tracking down the teen that sent it.”
The sheriff also reminds teens that “even if a photo is DELETED after it is sent, it WILL NEVER go away and the photos are likely to surface on a stranger’s or child molester’s phone, child pornography websites, and even law enforcement’s Crimes Against Children Task Force’s radar, thus potentially ruining any aspirations or career choices the child may have had.”
Another unintentional consequence of sending nude videos or photographs is the potential danger that activity can bring to the person’s family and friends, as these types of photos are tracked and shared with child molesters and other criminals.
Of course, sending, possessing and viewing such videos or photographs constitutes a criminal offense, something Chaffins wants to emphasize with children and parents alike.
“Possession of images of anyone under the age of 18 is a CRIMINAL OFFENSE and punishable by one to 20 years in prison, depending on the exact offense,” Chaffins stressed. “It should also be noted that it DOES NOT read in Kentucky Revised Statutes that if the child is the one that produces or transmits the image they get a ‘free pass.’ As a matter of fact, there have been juveniles placed on the Sex Offender Registry for life for producing and/or sharing child porn images.”
Additionally, Chaffins said Grayson County Resource Officer/Leitchfield PD Officer Ian Renfrow has investigated a “steady number of ‘sexting’ complaints over the last four to five years and has seen the unmerciful effect it has on the youth of Grayson County.”
“Imagine waking up to find yourself totally nude in front of thousands of strangers under a spotlight and not understanding how you got there,” Renfrow said. “Essentially, that is what happens when a young person shares nude photos of themselves. The original sender of the photos or videos begins as a consenting participant; however, the sender does not have any control over the photo or video once it is sent. The producer becomes unable to control how the photo/video is used and cannot stop its distribution as it is sent from one person to the next until it is hopefully intercepted by law enforcement.”
Both the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office and Leitchfield police have investigated graphic child porn cases involving children as young as second through fifth graders, with the child being the one that produced the images.
“These youngsters do NOT have the maturity level to handle the responsibilities of social media safety and the use of a cellular device without monitoring or oversight by an adult,” Chaffins stated. “Our kids ARE being taught the proper use of social media at every level in our school system. The LPD, GCSO, and Kentucky State Police have teamed-up to provide education at the elementary, middle and high school levels. This education MUST continue at home with proper monitoring by parents.”
Law enforcement pleads with parents/guardians to “take ownership of your child’s devices and social media accounts; know their passwords.” Chaffins said the biggest deterrent to online predators is when a parent/guardian takes control of the device to ensure the safety of their child.
“Take time out of your day to research the dangers and find resources to protect your child from making that potentially life changing mistake due to the freedom and inability to properly handle so much technology,” he said.
For a small fee, most cell phone providers offer a way to clone your child’s phone or device so that parent may view every incoming or outgoing message, image or video.
“Parent, and guardians, please educate yourself on the different apps on your child’s device and the people on their friends list or contacts,” Chaffins urged.
Parents, Chaffins asked that you please note that apps are created and modified constantly to assist in concealing files and data on your child’s phone. There are apps that serve as “counter-surveillance” that will alert the user of any attempt by a parent to “spy” on the device.
For example: Photo Vault apps that appear as a calculator and use a specific mathematic equation as a security code to access hidden photos. There is also a camera function that will use a forward facing camera to take a photo of anyone who logs onto the phone, tipping your child off as to what you have viewed on their device.
“Lastly, please understand that law enforcement is doing everything we can to protect our kids from the dangers of social media and online predators,” Chaffins said, “however, when it comes to retrieving information from social media sites it can be extremely difficult due to the fact that many do NOT retain online information for fear of lawsuits. Many will not honor U.S. search warrants because the information is stored on a server outside of the United States, thus making it nearly impossible to present a case for prosecution. But, we WILL continue to investigate and take EVERY case seriously and treat them with common sense and compassion.”
Anyone who requires further information or more resources on online safety, please contact Officer Renfrow at the Leitchfield Police Department at 270-259-3850, 270-259-4078 (GCHS) or Sheriff Norman Chaffins at the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office at 270- 259-3024.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
