He also plays the role of a teenager in online sting operations to catch sexual predators. Williams sat down with public safety reporter Ryan Seals to talk about investigating Internet crimes and what parents can do to keep their children safe online.
Q. How did you become a member of the Juvenile Services Squad?
A. I was a field patrol officer for seven years, so I did some time out on the street. When an opening became available on the child victim squad, I applied and was accepted. As a member of the child victim squad, we investigate abuse, neglect, sexual molestation, and child deaths that occur in the city.
Q. With Internet crimes, what type of training was involved?
A. Most of the training we receive is through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. They will have several different classes regarding investigative techniques, undercover operations, case management and those types of classes.
Q. Mentally, how do you prepare yourself to play the role of a young teenager?
A. A lot of the mental preparation is simply trying to understand what is driving teen culture. That can include anything from listening to certain types of music, buying magazines and seeing what's out. Very simply: Sitting down and talking to teenagers and finding out more or less what's going on in their world and what's important to them, and then trying to emulate that when you get online.
Q. What was that first sting operation like?
A. The first time was almost surreal, for the lack of a better word. You see yourself as an adult, a police officer and a detective. And you see yourself typing these things on the Internet and see this person typing things back and believing you are this teenager. It makes you step back and say, 'Wow, I can get this guy and make a difference.'
Q. Did that first operation lead to an arrest?
A. Yes, it did. The first case, we actually arrested a gentleman from Winston-Salem. We had just gotten back from our first training ... and we were doing a demonstration for our chief and the district attorney and a representative from the sheriff's office.
Q. How long does it take to make an arrest?
A. It really depends on the person that we are investigating and the chats themselves. We've had investigations that have gone on sometimes as long as a year. We've had some that have gone for two days.
Q. From what walks of life do suspects come from? Have you ever been surprised?
A. It's gotten to the point now that nothing surprises us. We've gotten (suspects) from every walk of life, from race, creed, color, socioeconomic (group). ... With people having so much access to computers and the Internet, just about anybody you see could potentially be a suspect in one of these cases. We've gone everywhere from a bulldozer operator to a chief financial officer for a bank and everything in between.
Q. People associate men with these crimes. Have you encountered a female sexual predator?
A. Typically, these crimes are committed by men. Some statistics show 99 percent of them are done by men and basically 1 percent by a woman.
There are all kinds of theories as to why that may be. One is women have a more maternal instinct and wouldn't want to offend against a child. Or it may be that women aren't spending as much time online. I really don't have a good answer.
In my opinion, there are women out there who are offending against children. ... They are out there and they are offending. For some reason, we haven't been able to find them yet.
Q.What is the punishment for this type of crime?
A. There's not really anything unique to North Carolina law. A majority of the punishment that comes out is probation. There are active sentences, but you're not getting a lot of active time for these sentences. Federal court is something totally different. I believe it's something like 10 years. Of course, if they are convicted or plead guilty, they must register as a sex offender. Any of these offenses that occur on the Internet can have federal jurisdiction because it's an Internet crime.
Q. What advice do you give parents about supervising Internet use?
A. It's very simple. Parents have to take a proactive role about what their children are doing on the Internet. It's just literally that simple. Parents need to educate themselves about what their children do on the Internet and how they do it. The majority of the parents, myself included, we weren't raised in the Internet society, so we are having to play catch-up.
I tell parents to have your children teach you. Let your child take the lead and show you. ... If there's something a parent doesn't understand or wants to know — ask your child. If you don't get the response you're looking for — go and investigate yourself.
Q. Are there warning signs for people who suspect their significant other of being involved with Internet crimes?
A. Just the typical warning signs. These crimes and these offenses aren't really any different than any other crime or offense. ... All the computer does is make it easier. So you typically look for the usual things: Is there a change in their demeanor? Are they spending much more time at a computer than they have before? Are they deliberately trying to shut down the computer when (somebody) walks in the room?
Look Both Ways: Help Protect Your Family on the Internet
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