Douglas County Hosts Town Hall on Children's Internet Safety March 25

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners will bring together law enforcement, prosecutors, nonprofit leaders, and school officials March 25 to address what county officials describe as an active local threat: online child sexual exploitation.

The one-hour town hall, titled "Courageous Conversations – Our Children and the Internet," runs from 6 to 7 p.m. and is framed as an urgent briefing for any adult with children in their care. "Online child sexual exploitation or abuse does not discriminate, and these crimes are happening in Douglas County," the county's event listing states directly.

The panel draws from some of the county's most consequential institutions on this issue. Representatives from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the 23rd Judicial District Attorney's Office will appear in their capacity with Douglas County's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a specialized unit that investigates and prosecutes online crimes targeting minors. Nonprofit leaders working in child safety and school officials round out the panel, giving the discussion both an enforcement and a prevention dimension.

The county's framing of the event is pointed: "What can parents, coaches, teachers or other trusted adults do? Start by getting informed." That language signals the commissioners are not positioning this as an academic exercise. The event is designed as an action-oriented briefing for the adults most likely to intersect with at-risk children in Douglas County, whether at home, on a sports field, or in a classroom.

Specific attendance instructions, including whether the town hall will be held in person, virtually, or in a hybrid format, were not available in the county's published event materials at the time of publication. Residents can check the Douglas County government website for updated venue and joining details ahead of the March 25 event.

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners is hosting the panel. Sheriff Darren Weekly's office is among the participating agencies; Weekly also has a separate active notice in effect, with Stage 1 Fire Restrictions currently imposed across unincorporated areas of Douglas County under Ordinance No. O-012-004, restricting open fires, open burning, and fireworks.