The Digital Devil & Idaho’s Kids: Officer Gomez on Predators, Phones, and Parenting

A veteran SRO with a tech brain and a pastor’s heart. Officer David “Deputy” Gomez (Garden Valley/Boise County) went from Micron engineer to one of America’s most practical voices on kids, phones, and the digital traps living in our pockets. He breaks down how predators actually operate, why schools must choose cell phones or education (not both), and the family rule he teaches foster kids that Dylan loved: “We cannot be offended by mere mortals.” This one is leadership, parenting, and Idaho values—applied.

Highlights & Timestamps

00:00 – Why this matters: Idaho kids, small-town influence, and SROs as everyday leaders.
01:24 – “Officer vs. Deputy Gomez” and the two-badge life (Boise County & Idaho City).
02:24 – From Micron engineer to Meridian PD: the moment every problem was “social media.”
03:33 – The undercover middle-school account: 500 friend requests in 3 months—what kids taught him.
04:35 – SRO across sizes: 2,300-student city schools to K-12 rural—what really changes.
05:44 – Rural reality: knowing families, delivering food boxes, and why small towns amplify influence.
09:09 – “The greatest, most influential, heartbreaking job you’ll ever know.”
12:48 – The page that snowballed: 370,000+ parents, apps to watch, and live predator patterns.
15:20 – How predators hook kids: grief, sympathy, and the move to “other apps.”
16:54 – Roblox, YouTube, and why predators go where the “fish” are.
19:25 – Values > virality: kids can’t name what they’re worth—how to restore it.
23:33 – The big three in schools: cell phones, Chromebooks, vaping—and why filters aren’t enough.
24:07 – “You can have cell phones or education—you can’t have both.”
25:12 – Chromebook workarounds 101 (the Google Doc trick you didn’t know).
27:31 – Intentional parenting: the two-hour rule, team talks, battery checks, and posted family values.
29:45 – Quote: “We cannot be offended by mere mortals.” Teaching kids emotional control.
31:54 – Consoles & Discord: why “it’s just gaming” is still a predator on-ramp.
34:48 – Positives: the Nike shoe fund, toolboxes that build tradesmen, and Boise County Hunger Project—how community wins.

Find Officer Gomez: Facebook • Instagram • YouTube • TikTok (search Officer Gomez)

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