Internet Crimes Against Children

District Attorney Pete Weir is committed to the “Cheezo” Unit. The “Cheezo” Unit is at the forefront of the District Attorney’s efforts to ensure the safety of our children. The 1st Judicial District Attorney's Office is committed to keeping children safe online. As technology evolves, we must try to stay ahead of the learning curve. In the past we focused on personal computer safety, but today cell phone technology allows kids to take online communication with them wherever they go.

In our attempt to keep children safe online, we balance our resources in two areas. We go online portraying ourselves as children which has resulted in over five hundred arrests. More importantly, we provide education and prevention programs to children and adults. We conduct over 150 Internet and cell phone safety presentation each year.

District Attorney Investigator Mike Harris has been working Internet crimes against children since 1996. When District Attorney Scott Storey took office in 2005, he realized the severity of the problem created by the amount of time kids spend unsupervised on the Internet and created the Child Sex Offender Internet Investigations (CSOII) Unit, under the direction of Investigator Mike Harris. The CSOII Unit is nicknamed "Cheezo", which is also the name of their mascot, a yellow five-foot-tall cool cat.

The CSOII Unit protects children from sex offenders through prevention programs and aggressive, pro-active Internet investigations. Harris and his team take their Stranger Danger Internet Stranger Program into schools, parents' groups and other organizations concerned with the safety of kids. Harris also goes online undercover, following sex offenders into areas on the Internet frequented by kids.