"I want as many people as possible to use these:" New program helps protect your kids online

KENOSHA (WITI) -- The entire world is at your fingertips while surfing the web, but that world also includes plenty of predators. That's why Kenosha County Sheriff's officials are taking steps to help parents protect their children.

"I was astonished that a predator, within 17 seconds, could start talking to what they believed was a 12-year-old girl on the internet," said Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth.

Sheriff Beth has seen agents catch these offenders preying on children. Now, there's a new tool they're offering parents for free.

"I want as many people as possible to use these. The whole purpose of this is to keep our kids safe in our community," said Sheriff Beth.

It's called "Computer Cop."

The program scans the computers recent history -- looking for specific words that are concerning. The program also shows parents which websites their child is looking at.

"What this is going to do is allow parents to see who is talking to their kids, and what they're talking about," said Sheriff Beth.

Computer Cop also teaches parents codes they may not be familiar with that kids use.

"One that I saw was, I believe it was PN11, which means parents are coming in I have to get off the computer," said Sheriff Beth.

The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department is giving out 2,600 Computer Cop CDs to Kenosha County residents, hoping to protect those who need it most.

You can pick up a copy of Computer Cop at the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department -- at 1000 55th Street in Kenosha.

They're offering one per household with proof of identification.

Computer Cop also offers programs for tablets and smartphones.

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