The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is offering help to parents and guardians who want to keep track of their child's Internet usage.
The agency is offering free computer monitoring software to parents and guardians starting Wednesday. The software program is ComputerCOP and it allows you to scan images, documents, videos and browser histories. It also gives parents the ability to capture chat and email conversations using keyword searches.
Officials said the goal of distributing the software is to keep children and teenagers from becoming the victims of online crime.
"We want to protect kids from exploitation and abduction by Internet predators," Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said in a press release. "We hope to increase the reporting of such criminal activity, and we strive to provide parents, guardians, and other responsible adults with resources to make our kids' online experiences safe, educational and fun."
The software is available at the Sheriff's Administration Building at 10750 Ulmerton Road in Largo and the Sheriff's North District Station located at 737 Louden Avenue in Dunedin.
Copies of the software will also be handed out by community policing, school resource and crime prevention deputies.