BCSO Assists GBI in Child Porn Investigation

As a result of a three month investigation coordinated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, search warrants were recently issued for the distribution of child porn over the Internet in 37 Georgia counties, according to a GBI press release.

Just in time for April's National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the state-wide endeavor—known as "Operation Guarding Innocence"—included 50 teams representing 47 federal, state and local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, including the Bartow County Sheriff's Office.

The operation, which ran from January through March, centered on the ability of GBI agents and the task force to detect specific child porn images being shared over the Internet. Ninety-eight suspects were identified as distributing child porn over the Internet and were targeted for search warrants in the operation.

According to the press release, the mission of the ICAC Task Force Program, created by the U. S. Department of Justice and housed within the GBI, is to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in developing an effective response to cyber enticement and child pornography cases. This support encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, prevention and community education. The program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims. By helping state and local law enforcement agencies develop effective and sustainable responses to online child victimization and child pornography, the ICAC program delivers national resources at the local level.

In 2008, the Georgia ICAC Task Force made 109 arrests and in 2009 made 164 arrests. In 2010, the task force made 162 arrests and in 2011, made 173 arrests. There were a total of 163 arrests made in 2012. There have been 974 arrests in Georgia by the ICAC Task Force since it was established in 2002.

Visit the Georgia ICAC Task Force website or the GBI website for more information.

Agencies participating in Operation Guarding Innocence include the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Secret Service; Homeland Security Investigations; Federal Bureau Of Investigation; U.S. Marshal Service; Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Army CID.

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