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Last Updated: Mar 5, 2010 - 7:05:11 PM |
For 45
minutes, police officials repeatedly warned a group of teens at Imani
Christian Academy that anything they post on the Internet is public --
and
permanent.
Embarrassing photos, impulsive blog posts -- all are fair game once
online,
Pittsburgh police Assistant Chief Maurita Bryant told students Thursday.
Still, the message did not immediately sink in.
Told that employers could -- and will -- check social-networking sites
such
as Facebook for insight on prospective hires, one student gasped.
"That's like an invasion of privacy!" she said.
"Not if you put it out there," Bryant responded.
"What does 'post' mean?" added Detective Mike Overholt, of the
police
bureau's computer-crime unit. "It means you're making it available ...
to
everyone."
Police delivered the cyber-security lesson yesterday during the
third of four
sessions aimed at changing perceptions that young people have about
police.
Sponsored by NOBLE -- National Organization of Black Law Enforcement
Executives -- the sessions teach high school students the ins and outs
of the
legal system.
Past sessions at Imani included lessons on drugs and gun violence. A
homicide
investigator will speak during next week's lesson.
Imani headmaster Milton Raiford said the face-to-face meetings
humanize
police officers.
"Children have so many preconceived notions about the police --
they're
against them, they're not for them," Raiford said. "This helps dispel
those
notions. It takes away their suspicions."
The sessions also can be a helpful recruiting tool, Bryant said.
The 33-year veteran of the police force ended this week's session by
encouraging students to consider law enforcement as a career. Bryant
said she
grew up in Homewood and worked for $3.25 an hour cleaning tables in a
Downtown
high-rise before enrolling in the police academy.
"I wasn't sure I wanted to do it," she said. "I had never touched a
gun. I
didn't like cops. But once I got in the academy, I was sold. ... I saw
the
positive impact I could have on the community."
The NOBLE sessions at Imani started in February to mark Black
History
Month.
Bryant said it is important to reach out to schools, such as Imani,
where
many students come from disadvantaged backgrounds or have criminal
histories.
The school in the city's East End was founded in 1993 and has more than
240
students.
"We're breaking down barriers," she said. "If we can reach them now,
we won't
have to deal with them later."
Editor's Note: This story was written by Chris Togneri and reprinted with
permission of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Chris Togneri can be
reached at ctogneri@tribweb.com
or 412-380-5632. Maurita Bryant serves as the President of the Pittsburgh Chapter of NOBLE and is the national organization's Sergeant-at-Arms.
© Copyright 2010 by NobleNewsOnline.com
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