Hello FaceTheMusic,
I am a mandated reporter and other moderators are also. If I don't report suspected child abuse, elderly abuse, or dependent adult abuse I can face 6 months in jail and a very large fine. This is the reason for the warning in the rules. I by law have to report. My only obligation is to report. Law enforcement would do the tracing if possible. If I file a report I would give the email address and IP#. The rest is up to them. We've had over a million posts and have only made a few reports. If you were to post that your father was seriously harming a child, dependent adult, or elderly person I would have to report it.
Here is a link that explains the law.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandated_reporter