Safer Internet Day: Together For a Better Internet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 11, 2020

SAFER INTERNET DAY: TOGETHER FOR A BETTER INTERNET

“Today, we encourage you to take the time to discuss internet safety with your children.” -Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes

SALT LAKE CITY — Safer Internet Day is today, February 11th and the Utah Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force urges Utahns to get educated on internet safety to help prevent children falling victim to internet crimes. The best way to prevent these crimes is by educating yourself, your children, co-workers, teachers, etc.

Safer Internet Day is celebrated across the globe each February. This year’s theme is, “Together for a better internet”. The Utah ICAC diligently works to make the digital world safe from predators, cyberbullies, and other online dangers. We urge you to be kind and respectful to your peers online and to observe internet safety as you access the internet through your phone, apps, gaming platforms, and computers. No matter what you use, it’s important to practice digital safety.

We encourage you to read and utilize these resources on this and every day.

Below are some helpful resources to help you learn more about dangers your child may encounter online, and ways you can help prevent them:

For internet safety tips, go here.

Wheels of Justice Rides to Make a Difference

March 18, 2019

In an article published in the Utah Bar Journal, Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes, Salt Lake District Attorney Sim Gill, and Attorney Gregory N. Hoole joined together to bring awareness of child abuse and Wheels of Justice, a local cycling club dedicated to ending all forms of child abuse.

Wheels of Justice, a nonprofit corporation, raises money to support four organizations: Prevent Child Abuse Utah (PCAU), Friends of the Salt Lake County Children’s Justice Center (Friends of the CJC), Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) and the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition (UDVC).

Additionally, Wheels of Justice sponsors a bicycle ride every September that ascends all five of Salt Lake City’s riding canyons in one day. This daunting course shows children who have been abused that they, too, can overcome any challenge.

For more information and to find out how you can join Wheels of Justic, visit their website at www.teamwheelsofjustice.org.

PIK2AR: Empowering Positive Social Change

March 14, 2019

Today, Attorney General Sean D. Reyes supported Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR) as they received the 2018 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for the Salt Lake City Division.

PIK2AR is a dedicated force in domestic violence prevention and education for members of the Pacific Island communities. They provide several programs aimed toward building communities, improving economic development, and teaching violence prevention for positive social change. Supporting family values, promotes self-reliance, good health, charity, and community involvement are just some of their core values. Last year, PIK2AR helped more than 100 women and 800 children.

To learn more about PIK2AR, visit their website: https://pik2ar.org/

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A Great Victory for Utah: Hate Crime Bill Passes Utah Legislature

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2019

A GREAT VICTORY FOR UTAH: HATE CRIME BILL PASSES UTAH LEGISLATURE

SALT LAKE CITY – Today, the Utah State Legislature took an important step toward protecting Utahns and their freedom. SB103 Victim Targeting Penalty Enhancements, otherwise known as the hate crime bill, gained final legislative approval before passing to Governor Gary R. Herbert to be signed into law.

SB103 expresses the importance of establishing an enhanced punishment for those that commit crimes based on an individual’s race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or identity and recognizes the unique impact these heinous crimes have on our communities. This new statute does not favor some over others or seek to punish speech or thought. All Utahns deserve protection from crimes motivated by hate and the freedom to express their individuality.

“Today is a great day for every person or family who’s ever been afraid to leave their house due to hate. It’s a historic day for every parent who has stayed up worrying about whether they should let their kids go to school because of threats or violence. It’s an unforgettable day for every person who has been victimized because of who they are,” said Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes.

Congratulations to Senator Thatcher and Representative Perry, Leadership in the Senate and House, and all others who made this possible. Many of us have worked for years to get a bill like this passed. Legislators and supporters who passed prior hate enhancements under Utah law also deserve credit and helped build toward this day.

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NOTES:

Attorney General Reyes and Seth Brysk’s op-ed on SB103: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900058463/guest-opinion-utahs-hate-crimes-law-would-protect-everyone-here-are-the-facts.html

Rep. Paul Ray: Utah is an overdose capital, and fentanyl must be stopped

Written by Utah Representative Paul Ray and originally posted in the Salt Lake Tribune.

March 13, 2019

It may come as somewhat of a shock for most Utahns to learn that our state has one of the worst rates of opioid drug overdoses in our country. In fact, our state has been consistently ranked among the top 10 for opioid-related overdoses for the past decade. According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 600 people died from opioid-related overdoses in Utah during 2016 alone.

The data for 2016 showed a slight improvement over 2015 due to federal, state and local efforts via the Utah Opioid Task Force, as a result of its cracking down on the over-prescription and sale of legal pain-relieving medications that contain opioids. However, the rate of mortality has remained stubbornly high due to the spread of an illegally manufactured drug called fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid most people had never even heard of five years ago. It is such a potent drug that even a few milligrams of it — equivalent to a grain of rice — can be deadly for anyone who comes into contact with it — even accidentally.

China is the main source of manufacturing the illegal fentanyl finding its way across our borders. Most of the drugs are shipped to Mexican drug cartels that have perfected the process of pressing fentanyl into counterfeit pills and smuggling them into the U.S. for distribution. Sometimes the fentanyl is just shipped in bulk over our borders and is turned into pills in factories on our own soil.

By now, many of us have heard the unfo

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