Brian Thompson stands 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds. Yet he would have no trouble posing as an 11-year-old.
All he needs is a computer and access to the Internet.
That's one of the points he tries to get across to children in his Internet safety lectures at Lawrence elementary and junior high schools.
"There's no one in charge of the Internet," Thompson said. "Anyone can get on there and be anybody. You don't know who you might be talking to."
Thompson, community awareness coordinator for Headquarters Counseling Center, 1419 Mass., doesn't have to go far to find an example for Lawrence students.
Last month a 48-year-old man was arrested as he got off a plane at a Minneapolis airport. He was returned to Douglas County to face three charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The charges allege he had sex with a Lawrence girl between 14 and 16 years old.
An investigation by Lawrence Police alleges the suspect met the girl in an Internet chatroom. Neither police nor the Douglas County District Attorney's Office have released any other information about the case, which is still pending.
"We tell kids never to agree to meet someone over the Internet," Thompson said. "That's also important for the parents to know. They need to know when their kids are on the computer and how much time they spend on it."
Parents can monitor their children's computer time by placing the computer in an area of the house easily seen and accessed by all household members, Thompson said. He advises against placing computers in children's rooms.
Thompson also tells children not to give out personal information over the Internet. Someone could use the information to find out where the child lives, he said.
"I think kids let down their guard when they are at home," he said.
Since 1994, the FBI and the U.S. Customs Service have had a special unit investigating computer crimes against youths under the age of 18, said Jeff Lanza, spokesman for the FBI's regional office in Kansas City, Mo.
Called Innocent Images, the unit is based in Baltimore. Agents go undercover on the Internet to look for attempts to victimize children, Lanza said. It is a federal crime to lure or take children across state lines for purposes of sex, he said.
Since 1994, Innocent Images investigations have led to about 200 convictions, Lanza said. A breakdown of types, numbers of crimes and where they occurred weren't immediately available. Many of the crimes involved obtaining or attempts to obtain child pornography, Lanza said.
"I think there have been about a half-dozen cases in the Kansas City area," he said.
More information about protecting your child from the dangers of the Internet can be found at Headquarters' Web site at www.hqcc.lawrence.ks.us.
Information also is available at the FBI's Web site at www.fbi.gov under the category of crimes against children.
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