Shaq is Now an App

Shaq has become an iPhone app for law enforcement.

Shaquille O'Neal has a starring role in Project Shaq Shield, a campaign to protect kids when they go online, according to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, who chairs the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The basketball superstar encourages parents to keep tabs on their kids' Internet use. The app includes Internet safety tips, a glossary of online terminology and lingo used by children. 

 “Shaquille O'Neal’s law enforcement experience and his commitment to helping children made him the perfect ambassador for this campaign and the iPhone app," Mason said in a news release.

He said the Shaq Shield will be a national prototype for the 61 ICAC task forces around the country.

Mason and the Ohio Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association launched Shaq Shield Monday.

The free iPhone app can be accessed at the Ohio ICAC website. 

The Shaq Shield encourages parents and children to pledge with Shaq to establish and follow guidelines on using the Internet. It also has iPhone's first law enforcement-approved sex offender registry.

The registry is provided by the Ohio Buckeye State Sheriff's Association, which includes all 88 Ohio sheriffs. Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI & I), in conjunction with Offender Watch and Mindgrab Media, is providing support for the Shaq Shield.  

Shaq said in the news release that "community and parents are the best defense against Internet predators."

“Parents — download the Shaq Shield and take the pledge to keep children safe,” he added.

Mason, who created ICAC in northeast Ohio in 2000 and expanded it statewide n 2003, said Internet predators pose a threat to kids "because they look, act and sometimes are, the trusted neighbors next door."

Ohio ICAC is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, such as police and sheriffs, volunteer to join the Task Force to strengthen its mission of protecting children from Internet predators. 

The task force has also conducted more than 1,000 presentations to educate parents and children on the dangers of the Internet.

Ohio ICAC is also on Twitter and Facebook.