[Montgomery, Ala.] The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit is tasked with the statewide investigation of technology-based child sexual exploitation – the production or distribution of child pornography, the solicitation of children for immoral purposes, and the sexual and physical abuse of children. During the first eight months of 2015, the unit has executed 46 search warrants, arrested 21 offenders, examined over 720 items of digital evidence and conducted training or public outreach for over 400 attendees.
“ALEA’s ICAC Unit is focused on locating and arresting predators who use digital media and devices to prey on and victimize our children,” said Secretary of Law Enforcement Spencer Collier. “The ICAC Unit is comprised of nine seasoned investigators with more than 200 years of law enforcement experience, supported by two Forensic Technology Examiners and a Criminal Intelligence Analyst, who are and will continue to be relentless in the investigation of offenders who sexually exploit children. This specialized unit demonstrates the effectiveness of the consolidation of state-level law enforcement resources.”
With the consolidation of state-level law enforcement in January 2015, the ICAC Unit was moved from the former Alabama Bureau of Investigation to ALEA’s Fusion Center (AFC). Many of the cases investigated by the unit are received from a CyberTipline established by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) that is operated in partnership with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, US Postal Inspection Service and several other entities. Between 1998 and April 2015, more than 4.3 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation have been made to the CyberTipline. Between July 2014 and July 2015, the ALEA ICAC Unit received 1,259 of these CyberTipline reports from NCMEC.
Partially funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, the unit also conducts public educational outreach, law-enforcement training and examines seized electronic devices for evidence. Through the grant, the unit has established and manages a state-wide task force of local law-enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute these crimes.
Collier continued, “This multi-jurisdictional initiative is a true testament to the efforts of law enforcement to protect our children. This specialized unit serves as the statewide lead for all child pornography investigations and demonstrates the effectiveness of the consolidation of state-level law enforcement resources. Proposed budget cuts of 22 to 47 percent threaten our ability to find and arrest child predators in our state. ”
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Fatality
No
