Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces arrested
1,140 child predators from 41 states during a two-month, nationwide operation,
the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) announced
today.
The 61 ICAC Task Forces, funded through an OJJDP grant
program, conducted Operation Broken Heart, a coordinated investigative
operation to intensify efforts to identify and arrest child sexual predators
during the months of April and May 2015.
“Predators use technology in sinister and inventive ways to
reach their child victims across state and national boundaries,” said
Administrator Robert L. Listenbee of the OJJDP.
“Through collaborative efforts such as Operation Broken Heart, ICAC Task
Forces and their law enforcement partners are countering these attacks by
pooling resources and investigative expertise, increasing their ability to
identify and arrest sexual predators and protect children.”
More than 3,000 federal, state and local law enforcement
agencies participated in the operation, which targeted offenders who: possess,
manufacture and distribute child pornography; engage in online enticement of
children for sexual purposes; engage in the commercial sexual exploitation or
prostitution of children; and engage in child sex tourism – traveling abroad
for the purpose of sexually abusing children in other countries. ICAC Task Forces first conducted Operation
Broken Heart in 2014. The task forces
also delivered more than 2,200 presentations on Internet safety to more than
186,000 youth and adults during these two months.
“By arresting and prosecuting child predators across the
country, our task forces are sending a clear message that we are working
together better than ever before to bring these perpetrators to justice,” said
Lt. Andrea Grossman of the Los Angeles Police Department, Commander of the Los
Angeles Regional ICAC Task Force and chair of the ICAC Public Awareness and
Outreach Committee. “The ICAC Task
Forces’ dedicated efforts and professionalism help fulfill the ultimate goal of
keeping children safe.”
In 1998, OJJDP launched the ICAC Task Force Program to help
federal, state and local law enforcement agencies enhance their investigative
responses to offenders who use the Internet, online communication systems or
computer technology to exploit children.
To date, the ICAC Task Forces have reviewed more than 516,000 complaints
of child exploitation, which resulted in the arrest of more than 54,000
individuals. In addition, since the ICAC
program's inception, more than 465,000 law enforcement officers, prosecutors
and other professionals have been trained on techniques to investigate and
prosecute ICAC related cases.
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