Lawmakers Work To Cut Down On Internet Crime

Sex crime investigators say it's becoming all too common for sexual predators to find their victims over the Internet. State legislators want to stop that and hope a bill currently on the house floor

Saturday, February 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Sex crime investigators say it's becoming all too common for sexual predators to find their victims over the Internet. State legislators want to stop that and hope a bill currently on the house floor will do just that.

The Internet makes shopping and communicating easier, but it's also making victims of many children. Police say child predators are constantly looking for ways to lure youngsters into sex or meeting over the Internet and they're succeeding.

"I think it's probably happening a lot more than we know about," says Sgt. Pat Calhoun.

Tulsa Police say they've seen it time and time again in the past couple of years someone luring underage children to meet for sex. They've even caught a few themselves through a Internet sting, but their power is limited. Now legislators are joining the fight to toughen Oklahoma laws.

"I want the punishment to be the same as lewd molestation of a child which means 1-20 years for the first offense after two or three it could be life in prison," says Rep. Scott Adkins.

Adkins of Broken Arrow says House Bill 2349 would give more power to prosecute Internet predators.

"If they find something out right now, they must actually commit an act against the child or they must actually meet with the child," says Adkins.

Adkins says the indecent proposals over the Internet are not currently included in state laws, which is the case in many states.

"What I'm trying to do is catch the law up with the technology the technology has moved so fast, it's gotten ahead of the law," says Adkins.

But not everyone agrees attorney Clark Brewster says adults may not realize they are talking to children over the Internet.

"I think when the legislators when they sit down and read this bill will see that the cure is much worse than perhaps the conduct they are trying to govern," says Brewster.

In two weeks, the house will decide for themselves when they take a vote on the bill. The bill has already passed the Science and Technology committee. The full House is set to vote on February 28th.