» More From The Hillsboro Argus

George Heuston

"OK time's up! Stop the exercise." Instructor Bill Sandoval's voice rose over the laughter and chatter. The sounds of busy fingers on keyboards trailed off.

"You all chose screen names for your chat sessions. We've been online now for about 45 minutes. Can anyone tell me who the real people are who go with those names?"

Hands shot up -- "I know, I know!," the kids exclaimed, almost in unison. For the next 20 minutes, kids and parents tried to guess the screen names of the others in class.

The chosen screen names, or "aliases," varied widely and wildly -- from MonkeyButts, to Pedro, Loco, and Chocolate2. The accuracy of matching the person to his or her alias was about what you would get with a coin flip.

After the guessing was over and the real people came forward to reveal their screen names, Sandoval noted: "But was there anyone in the chat room who we haven't identified?"

Challenged, the kids and adults went back to their screens. Yes, there was one screen name that didn't match anyone in the class. "We haven't identified JoJo," someone said. "Who's JoJo?"

Sandoval Instructor Bill Sandoval discusses the perils and possibilities of life on the Internet deftly followed with his own question. "Is JoJo a girl or a boy, man or woman?"

Consensus was that JoJo was a teenaged girl. The girls in the class looked at each other.

"Actually, you're wrong. JoJo isn't a girl," Sandoval said. "JoJo isn't even in our class here. He is a man -- one of our instructors, who joined your chat room from his house in Portland."

The kids' eyes widened, and the parents shook their heads. Lesson: The fun and power that comes with parents and kids logging on to an Internet chat room, being online with the world of cyber space, can be a journey into a land of smoke and mirrors -- the unknown and the untoward. And it can happen in a keystroke.

As Hillsboro Police Department project manager, I co-taught the class with Sandoval (of Su Casa Imports) and Kirby Urner, a teacher and Linux guru out of Portland. For my part, I told about the cases I'd worked in the FBI involving kids who hooked up with the wrong people in chat rooms.

The object of the class was to increase awareness of both kids and adults, to help them to safely utilize the fun of being online. And to understand it is mixed with the power of computers and the Internet. It succeeded in hatching serious discussions of Internet safety

HPD is dedicated to bridging the "digital divide," especially within the Hispanic community. A bridge was built with this class -- and bridges make communities worth living in. HPD is planning to deliver further content through its West Precinct Learning Center.

In the coming days, the Center will be open during selected times after school, to give kids access to safe surfing and the positive experiences of cyber space.

For further information or questions contact George Heuston at georgeh@ci.hillsboro.or.us, or by phone at 503-615-6628.

George Heuston, FBI (Ret), is a Project Manager for the Hillsboro Police Department. E-mail him at georgeh@ci.hillsboro.or.us.

There was one screen name that didn't match anyone in the class. "We haven't identified JoJo," someone said. "Who's JoJo?"