Chicopee PD received "Cop in a Box" computer program

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - The Chicopee Police department has a new tool to help them in the fight cyber crimes-- specifically protecting children from online sexual predators.

The program is called "Cop in a Box," and it's going to allow the Chicopee police department to take a proactive, rather than reactive approach to finding online sex predators and child pornographers.

“Children are home by themselves, they get online. They don't know what they're doing something they think is good is not and that's where the trouble starts,” said Pattie Bylicki, who worries about her grandchildren online.

And up until now, many police departments like Chicopee's have had a hard time monitoring that kind of trouble once it begins.

“Unless somebody contacts us and tells us they received something on their laptop involving child pornography or that their child has been victimized by a predator, we have no way of detecting it,” said Chicopee Police Chief Thomas Charette.

Friday night Chicopee's Moose Family Center presented high-tech computer equipment that will help the police department track criminals who are preying on kids over the internet. The Chicopee police department is the first in new England to receive the "Cop in a Box" program.

“We're all part of Chicopee. We've always been a good part of Chicopee. We love Chicopee and what it does for us and we love to support them. It gives them another tool to go after predators and keep our children safe,” said Dan Summers, governor of Chicopee’s Moose Family Center.

Policing the internet is a far more challenging playing field than policing the streets, and Chicopee officers say any extra resources will help them do their job better.

“The Internet is a great resource for everyone but like anything else it gets abused and that's what we're hoping to do is cut it off before it affects a child,” said Chief Charette.

The Moose Family Center also presented Moose stuffed animals to the police and fire departments tonight, to give to children during scary emergency situations.