Press Release: Richfield Police to Hold Internet Safety Meeting for Parents

Editor's Note: The following is a press release from the .

The Richfield Police Department is hosting a meeting for its Neighborhood Crime Watch block captains featuring a training and education coordinator from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Karina Berzins. Berzins will educate residents about social networking sites and how to keep children safe while using the Internet.

This informational forum is open to all Richfield parents and is scheduled for Feb. 15 from 7-8 p.m., at the Auditorium, located at 7461 Oliver Ave. S.

Not sure if you should attend? Today's youth are very technologically savvy. Allowing them to spend large amounts of time online without any supervision or rules is like allowing them to explore a major metropolitan city by themselves. The Internet offers an enormous array of entertainment and educational resources, but also presents risks.

•  Are you unaware of what your children are doing on the Internet?
• Are you concerned about the over-abundance of violence and/or sexually explicit material on the Internet, video games, etc?
• Are you concerned about cyber bullying, online predators, or sexting?
• Do you want to set limits on your child's media use but don't know where to start? 

Crime Watch captains are encouraged to invite their neighbors to attend this informational meeting.

For more information, contact Jill Mecklenburg at 612-861-9845.