That’s why he recently presented a NetSmartz Workshop to children at Bethel Elementary School in Miami County.
Harnish, a deputy for 15 years, has been assigned to the Bethel Local School District for the last eight years.
“I got started learning about the crimes that go on over the Internet when I started in the schools as a resource officer,” he said.
“My interest intensified as I found out how many young people are being victimized and how little parents do to assist their children while online.”
Harnish believes parents need to take a more proactive approach when it comes to their children’s Internet activities.
“I do not think that the parents are doing this because they do not care, I think that they are uneducated of the everyday happenings that take place while online.” Harnish is trained in the Internet Safety Program called NetSmartz, an interactive presentation for elementary students to learn how to navigate the Internet safely.
NetSmartz was created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children using information from young people who ran away from home. Harnish said the center asked those young people what could prevent others from doing the same thing.
“The answer was mostly the same — ‘Internet education.’ ”
According to a study conducted by the University of New Hampshire for NCMEC, approximately 1 in 7 children received a sexual solicitation while online.
Through www.NetSmartz .org, parents, guardians, and educators have access to free resources for learning and teaching children about online dangers.