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Stay up-to-date on what is happening with the SafeOC program.

Apr 23

Orange County Rates High in Safety

By Greg Mellen Residents of Orange County can breathe a sigh of relief. While fear of crime and violence remain concerns of daily life,...

Mar 6

Help ‘Slam the Scam’ for Seniors and their Families

By Greg Mellen The Social Security Administration has designated March 7 as a day of awareness for online crime, particularly for older...

Jan 11

Congress Moves to Strengthen Laws on Online Child Sexual Abuse Materials

By Greg Mellen Photo by August de Richelieu In 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 32 million...

Dec 29, 2023

Frantic Holiday Shoppers Be Wary as Scammers are on the Rise

By Greg Mellen Photo by Tuur Tisseghem As we are getting through the holiday season and the public wraps up any post-holiday purchases,...

Dec 6, 2023

Your Chances of Encountering a Smash-and-Grab are Rare, but if…

By Greg Mellen Photo by Any Lane The odds of being caught up in a smash-and-grab robbery during the holiday season are small — though if...

Nov 13, 2023

Social Media Platforms Sue Tech Giant for Endangering Children

By Greg Mullen Photo by: Katerina Holmes Social media platforms are facing added scrutiny for their practices and engagement with youth...

Oct 20, 2023

International Terror, Violence Warns Us to Prepare at Home

By Greg Mellen The aftermath of the shocking attack by Hamas and Palestinian militants on Israel and the response in Gaza are grim...

Oct 10, 2023

Halloween can be Ghoulishly Great, as Long as Everyone is Safe

By Greg Mellen Photo By Yaroslav Shuraev Halloween: ghosts and goblins, witches and warlocks, and, this year especially, Barbies and...

Sep 28, 2023

For all its Attractiveness, There is a Flip-Side to AI and Parents Need to Beware

By Greg Mellen Photo by Matheus Bertelli The launch of artificial intelligence programs such as ChatGPT and GPT-4 have become all the...

Sep 8, 2023

How a Hand-Written Note Became a National Movement

By Greg Mellen Photo by Anthony Fomin Hard to believe, but one of the most ubiquitous terms of caution and vigilance, particularly when...

Sep 6, 2023

Sept. 11 Attacks Inspire Officer to ‘Make Sure it Never Happens Again’

By Greg Mellen Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge He’ll always remember the acid taste of the air, the blank looks of devastation...

Jul 3, 2023

Elders targeted by cyber crooks, but they can fight back

By Greg Mellen, Behind the Badge Photo by Tristan Le When Keniel Thomas got the nonagenarian on the phone, he may have thought he hit the...

Jun 27, 2023

Santa Ana Police Train with Active Shooter Simulation

By Greg Mellen, Behind The Badge Photo by Michael Goulding/Contributing Photographer Active shooter events have risen sharply in just six...

Jun 19, 2023

As summer heats up, parents need to refresh on kids internet use

By Greg Mellen, Behind The Badge With summer vacation, the excitement of being released from the confinement of classrooms and the...

May 25, 2023

Rise in school shootings met with new strategies and tactics to increase school safety

By Greg Mellen, Behind The Badge For several years now, there has been rising concern about the mental health of school-aged children....

Feb 2, 2023

Time is now for parents to gain digital control

By Greg Mellen, Behind The Badge The holiday season has passed and if you’re a parent and you or Santa left a video game or other...

Dec 5, 2022

Teach and protect children online for the holidays

By Greg Mellen, Behind The Badge As the holiday season heats up and kids become excited for the newest and greatest games, apps and...

Nov 23, 2022

Experts advise online shoppers to have a merry, wary holiday season

By Greg Mellen, Behind The Badge Every year, holiday online sales ramp up as consumers continue to flock to the virtual space. And each...

Nov 9, 2022

Halloween safety tips: From tossing loose candy to wearing bright costumes and more

For some, this Halloween will be time trick-or-treating since COVID-19 set in back in 2020, and many are excited. Some booths at the...

Oct 31, 2022

Be safe and enjoy the spooky magic of Halloween

By Cindy Arora, Behind The Badge Kids and parents alike love the Halloween season. There are the fun costumes, spooky decorations,...

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