When technology failed, Matt Slinger stepped in, handling the presentation and the restless crowd of teenagers like a pro.
Truth is, in this area, Rice County Deputy Slinger is a pro.
With eight years of teaching under his belt – two years each at Maplewood Middle School and Bethlehem Academy and another four at Faribault High School – managing a crowd of kids is second nature.
But it’s his ability to connect with them, especially when discussing a uncomfortable topic like sextortion, that helped lead the HOPE Center’s Susan Powell to nominate Slinger as the state’s SMART team Member of the Excellence. Slinger received the annual award given by the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault late last year.
Rice County’s SMART (Sexual Assault Multi-Disciplinary Action and Response Team) team is comprised of Powell, and staff from HOPE Center, Rice County Attorney’s Office, Public Health, Social Services and Community Corrections, local hospitals, Carleton and St. Olaf colleges and local law enforcement who work to improve the response to victims of sexual violence.
Slinger, who left the classroom to become a deputy sheriff in 2018, currently works in Investigations for the Rice County Sheriff's Office, focusing on internet crimes against children. He joined the SMART team just as it was launching a series of presentations to local high schoolers. Powell says the timing couldn’t have been better.
“He was at every presentation. He did such a good job connecting to the kids,” said Powell, adding that she believes the surprisingly high number of students who then disclosed they or a friend was a victim of sextortion is due largely to Slinger’s ability to convey compassion and trustworthiness.
According to the FBI, sextortion “occurs when someone threatens to distribute your private and sensitive material if you don’t provide them images of a sexual nature, sexual favors or money.”
While girls are certainly targets, an increasing number of boys 14-17 are being victimized. It often starts with an adult posing as a young girl feigning romantic interest in them, quickly leading to threats that explicit photos they’ve shared will be made public if they don’t send additional photos or money.
Slinger says it’s the unfettered access so many kids have to devices that puts them at risk. Teaching kids how to avoid becoming a victim is a message the father of two daughters is happy to share.
She says the former science teacher prioritizes victims and seeks out training to “be better and to show up for survivors of sexual assault.”
Sheriff Jesse Thomas concurs, adding that he’s glad to see Slinger’s dedication and commitment recognized.
For his part, Slinger seems to take the award in stride, focusing little on his accomplishment but instead on keeping kids safe.
“There’s a lot of good that can be done with technology,” he said, “but there are a lot of dangers. We give students more and more access, but we need to make sure there are appropriate safety measures in place. Do parents know how to control how much access to the internet and apps their kid has?
“With a phone in their hand, who can they be exposed to?”
LEARN MORE
• In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline received more than 186,800 reports of online enticement.
• Between 2021 and 2023, the number of online enticement reports increased by more than 300%.
• Find tips on keeping you and your children safe from online predators at https://bit.ly/OnlineEnticement.
Powell says Slinger more than meets the award criteria of “demonstrating outstanding leadership, innovation and dedication in supporting their team and strengthening their community’s response to sexual assault.”
