It has been my experience that a teenager involved in an inappropriate relationship will often only reveal only a small part of the relationship, and again this depends on the extent of the relationship. Sometimes you have a teenage child that has had hundreds of hours of communication with an adult. The child feels that nobody but the suspect really understands them.

Often times the child will withdraw farther from the family when confronted. This is a very delicate matter and is best handled with professional help.

I have seen various approaches to, “solve the problem” including constant parental monitoring. This included taking the child to school, meeting them for the lunch break, and then picking them up right after school. Additionally they would always be present if the child used a phone or computer.

I have seen other cases where the parents sent the child to one of the many out of state “boot camp” facilities.

So what as parents do we do? I know as a parent of four kids it is not easy. I also know as a police officer that works sex crimes, it probably sucks to be one of my kids. I really try to temper my parenting and pick the non law enforcement answer when confronted with a decision concerning my kids. On the other hand I feel blessed I have such a wide understanding of how some of these crimes are allowed to occur as Ifeel I can better protect my kids and help them make the right decisions.