KILLING OR INJURY TO CHILDREN ON RISE WEB SERVICE HELPS PARENTS

At a time when violent crime nationwide is on the decline --murders down 13 percent from 1999 --one crime statistic is haunting the criminal justice system. The killing or injury of children by their parents or stepparents shows an alarming rise. Between 1976 and 1997, approximately 11,000 children were murdered by those who gave them life or were supposed to give them care. Thousands more were the victims of life-threatening injuries. So it is no surprise that in this era of information and cyber-technology, concerned parents and grandparents are turning for help to one new website on the Internet. WhoisHe.Com and WhoisShe.Com reports having received thousands of requests from parents and grandparents to do background and criminal record checks on the new stepparent or significant other of their ex-spouse. " In the past year there has been a tremendous increase in the number of persons wanting us to do investigations of this nature," notes Linda Alexander, a Southern California attorney and website founder. "Parents and grandparents want to protect these children from potential abuse." Alexander 's online company specializes in a wide variety of comprehensive background checks and criminal record searches designed to verify if persons are who they purport to be. Have they ever used an alias? Do they have a criminal record? Have they committed domestic violence? Are they a registered sexual offender? A pedophile? Finding the answers to such questions is all in a day