Cybercop Steven Del Negro hopes his latest venture proves successful, making the Berkshires a pioneer in a new method of education.
"In a state where things usually move east to west, it's exciting to think that the Berkshires will lead the way," said Del Negro, the statewide coordinator for the U.S. Department of Justice's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Working to develop a program that pairs outstanding high school students with elementary schoolchildren, Del Negro thinks the key to educating youth is making sure the message about Internet safety hits home at a young age.
"I don't think people understand the potential of the dangers of the Internet," said Del Negro. "Eighty percent of the time that Internet crimes are going on, it's happening right inside the home."
Del Negro works primarily in prevention and awareness, passing on his knowledge to the younger generation and allowing the older kids to act as mentors to elementary school students.
"It's a home run all around, for everyone involved," said Del Negro.
Cybercrime Pioneer
Del Negro was born and raised in North Adams and still resides in the Berkshires, even though his job takes him across the state. The Drury High School graduate went on to get a degree in criminal justice from Westfield State College before becoming a North Adams police officer and then a state trooper in 1982.
Now living in Williamstown, Del Negro is the state's sole coordinator for the ICAC Task Force, a law enforcement agency that works to prevent Internet-based crime through advocacy and education. He also conducts undercover investigations to trap offenders attempting to harm children online.
"It's not like 'Dateline,' because that's reality TV, but it's sort of like that," said Del Negro, referring to a popular "Dateline NBC" segment "To Catch a Predator," which uses online personas to nab potential sex offenders.
Del Negro is also the state's contact for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Cyber Tipline.
"It's set up so that civilians can make reports of exploitations of children on the Internet. Anytime one involves Massachusetts, it comes to me," he said.
A member of the task force since 1999, Del Negro became interested in this new form of policing while a sergeant working out of the district attorney's office.
"There just wasn't anyone who had experience in this particular field at the time, so I just offered to take it on. No one really knew about this Internet stuff and I just kept working on it. Then, when push came to shove, I was shoved," he said. "Now this is becoming an even bigger issue because of the accessibility of the Internet and it's my job to make sure that, when the technology comes out, I know how to use it."
Del Negro works in collaboration with 45 other ICAC task forces across the country to develop the best methods for both apprehending criminals and creating educational presentations for parents, schools and communities. Working together, he said, makes it easier to ensure that the task forces are "on the same page" and tackling the issues most effectively. As an instructor for specialized trainings on cybercrime, Del Negro is also a national leader in providing online communication and computer technology training to law enforcement.
"Training is always first and foremost to help us get our job done. We need the most up-to-date information to do our kind of work so it's important that we're getting this education," he said.
Although Massachusetts doesn't have an above-average Internet crimes problem, Del Negro said he's constantly on the lookout for ways to improve awareness of online dangers.
"It's a problem of just not knowing for a lot of people," he said . "We have to get the seed in kids' heads early that they have to be safe on the Web and parents need to be aware of the dangers. Your child could be right there in the home and the whole time, you think they're safe. The truth is they could be more in danger than if you dropped them off in the middle of New York City."
With his budding mentoring program now in place in five area high schools, Del Negro wants to involve college students in the process, having them teach both young children and high schoolers. If the program proves successful, he wants to try implementing it in other communities, using the template he developed here in Berkshire County.
"My prevention and awareness presentations are in high demand and it's important to do them as much as I can, but I just can't be everywhere all the time. We're not only giving the older kids the skills to be safe but we're also letting them pass it on to the younger generation," he said.
From cyberbullying to social networking site safety, the presentations aim to make the computer-savvy student more aware of their vulnerability while surfing the Net.
"We're just trying to get everyone to be more safety minded," Del Negro said.
Looking to the New Year
As the New Year approaches, Del Negro is looking forward to tackling some new responsibilities. In January, he'll be promoted to state commander for the ICAC Task Force, taking on a new role within the agency.
"I don't completely know what to expect," he said.
Del Negro does know, however, that he's not looking to leave the field anytime soon.
"I've never hated my job. It's a very rewarding job. Sometimes it can be a frustrating and not so popular job but it's rewarding. I get to save and protect kids every day. That's a good job," he said.
Del Negro has a 16-year-old son so knows firsthand the importance of Internet safety and that the key to prevention is open lines of communication.
"It's as simple as that. Parents need to communicate with their children. Ask them who they're contacting online, how they know them. The only way they're going to learn is to sit down and go through it with them," said Del Negro. "The Internet is a great tool but it has its pitfalls. And it's not going away. We can't bury our heads in the sand."
When a crime does occur, Del Negro said he's proud to be on the front lines, pushing for jail time for offenders and being vigilant about new ways to protect children across the state.
"I'm trying to find people out there who hurt our children," he said. "We put ourselves between our children and the bad guys."
Jen Thomas can be reached at jthomas@iberkshires.com.
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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