Green Country Law Enforcement agencies attend Child Abuse Response Team training

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — A Detective Sergeant from Bristow hopes to share what she learns with her police department following this week’s Child Abuse Response Team training hosted by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) and Northeastern State University.

The goal of the week-long course is to provide comprehensive training for law enforcement on how to respond when handling cases involving child sexual and physical abuse, neglect and exploitation.

FOX23 dropped in during a portion of Tuesday morning’s presentation, while they were discussing evidence based investigations.

The Chief of Police in Bristow said she didn’t have to think twice when Detective Sgt. Jimmy Wenzel asked for the week off to attend the training.

“I was 100% in agreeance to send her to this training, so she can get that knowledge and bring it back to this small town so that we can benefit from that,” said Kendra Raney, Chief of Police for the Bristow Police Department.

Raney said the training Detective Sgt. Jimmy Wenzel will share with other officers when she returns will be invaluable.

She said right now Wenzel is handling 15 child exploitation cases.

Wenzel, in addition to working for the Bristow Police Department, is on the OSBI Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force or ICAC.

Wenzel said today’s online predators have replaced stranger danger.

“Kids wants to be popular, they want to be accepted, and so they’re talking to people from all over and you never know whose behind your screen,” she said.

Julie Kindle, a law enforcement criminal analyst with OSBI had this advice for parents or guardians:

“They should be asking questions, ‘Who are you talking to, what are you seeing on this app?’”

Kindle also recommended making sure you protect your identity, your location, anything specific to you.

“People who have a sexual interest in children will often gain access to them in whatever way is the easiest for them, and whichever has the widest pool of potential victims,” Kindle said.

Sometimes its face-to-face, and other times it’s online.

Kindle said it’s not about one particular type of app, that any app or platform that allows its users to communicate with each other has the potential for danger. She added that every app and every platform has a report abuse mechanism.

The Child Abuse Response Team training continues through Friday.

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