" Protecting Kids: Online and on their Cell Phone"

Travels from: Milwaukee, WI

Eric has been a Special Agent with the Wisconsin Department of Justice/ Division of Criminal Investigation for almost 20 years.  In 1999, he joined the state’s task force to fight the online exploitation of children, becoming an expert in his field.  Eric’s law enforcement experience also includes undercover murder-for-hire, cold-case homicides, fugitive apprehension, and narcotics enforcement.

Eric has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s leading officers in apprehending sexual predators of children who use the Internet and/or cell phones to exploit children.  He has been responsible for the arrest of more than 150 offenders from Wisconsin and around the nation, nearly half of whom traveled various distances to have sex with what they believed to be an underage boy or girl.  Eric’s arrests also include those who sexually assault children, distribute, possess, and/or manufacture child pornography, and expose children to harmful materials.

Eric’s dynamic presentations on Internet/cell phone exploitation have been seen by about 200,000 people in Wisconsin and the nation.  Audiences include parents, PTA’s, parochial/public/private middle school and high school students, teachers, guidance counselors, police officers, prosecutors, child welfare advocates, correctional and social workers, civic and religious groups, doctors and business professionals.  He has been interviewed on national television, including the Tyra Banks Show in Los Angeles, and CNN Tonight with Connie Chung in New York City.  Eric has also been a guest on “Living Our Faith” with Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan (now Archbishop of New York).  He has also been interviewed by countless newspapers, radio and television stations.

Eric’s presentations inspired the drafting and passage of new legislation in Wisconsin in 2006, Assembly Bill 942.  This law significantly increased the levels of felonies for online child exploitation, increased maximum prison penalties, and implemented presumptive minimum prison terms for online predators.  Eric has testified in court as an expert in the online exploitation of children, and has provided assistance to dozens of law enforcement agencies in this area of police work.
 


Eric’s work has been recognized by organizations including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators.  Eric’s cases have been featured in numerous media outlets, including Cold Case Files, People Magazine, and MSNBC Investigates.  Before his law enforcement career, Eric spent seven years in broadcast journalism.  He was a news reporter, anchor and producer, working at TV stations in Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, and Madison.  He graduated with honors in 1983 from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication.

Eric’s most popular program, “The Dark Side of Digital Technology: the Internet, Cell Phones, and Social Media,” includes real-life examples and practical advice. Topics include techniques used by predators, cyber bullying, kids that are most vulnerable, warning signs, and the importance of filters and monitoring software. Also covered are the risks of social networking sites like My Space and Facebook; cell phone exploitation and sexting; web cameras; online gaming; the proliferation of pornography, and an eye-opening live demonstration of what takes place in a chat room.  Eric pulls no punches linking our sexualized culture to the loss of innocence of a generation of kids in the digital age.

His other popular and inspiring programs include age-appropriate talks for middle and high school students, as well as options for students and parents to attend together. 
 

Eric gives the audience unique insight from his other roles as a husband and father of two kids who grew up online.  Parents will be motivated to protect their kids, speak openly to them, and overcome pressure to be “best friends” instead of parents.  For Christian organizations or groups, Eric incorporates his own Catholic faith journey into his message.  He discusses the importance of living our faith when using the Internet and cell phones, and how faith is a strong component in his daily work   Eric encourages the use of technology for good, while keeping the audience vigilant to the threat its improper use poses to our spiritual well-being and relationship with Christ.

Comments Posted By The Public ...

Posted 8/24/09:

"Congratulations Eric! God bless all you efforts Charlie" - Father Charlie, Franklin, WI