Delaware News

New Developments Announced in Statewide Effort to Combat Online Child Sexual Exploitation

Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Wednesday, April 2, 2008



 

** Joint Release of the Delaware Department of Justice, Delaware Department of Safety and
Homeland Security, and the Delaware State Police **
Delaware Child Predator Task Force has new headquarters, member agencies
Dover, DE – Attorney General Joseph R. Biden, III, Delaware Safety and Homeland Security
Secretary David B. Mitchell, and State Police Superintendent Colonel Thomas F. MacLeish today
unveiled the new offices of the Delaware Child Predator Task Force at a press conference held in the
Task Force’s Dover headquarters. They also announced the recent addition of nearly thirty new police
agencies to the Task Force. Leaders from many of those new member agencies were represented at
Wednesday’s press conference.
“Our kids deserve the strongest, most coordinated defense against online predators, and that’s
exactly what the Delaware Child Predator Task Force is,” said Attorney General Joseph R. Biden, III.
“Together, we have made significant progress over the past year. Now, with these state-of-the-art
facilities and new member agencies from across the state, the Task Force will be proactively
identifying predators even earlier and getting them off the streets before they can harm our children.”
The Delaware Child Predator Task Force was established as the Delaware Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in June, 2007 by the Delaware Department of Justice and Delaware State Police, with support from the United States Attorney’s Office and other federal agencies. It is responsible for:
• Investigating complaints and referrals from citizens, state and local law enforcement agencies, federal agencies, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• Conducting proactive online investigations
• Participating in national online child sexual exploitation investigations
• Conducting prevention programs that educate children and their families on internet safety

In October, 2007, the Task Force received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, which it used to enhance its forensic capabilities, facilitate staff training, and secure the dedicated office space unveiled at today’s press conference. With over thirty law enforcement agencies now members of the Task Force, it is representative of the vast majority of the Delaware Law Enforcement Community.

“The ICAC Task Force and the statewide partnership are vital in the fight to protect our children and to bring child predators to justice. This is a serious problem throughout the country that is more significant than shared images of child pornography. It is about the abduction, rape, sexual assault and exploitation of our children,” said David B. Mitchell, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Delaware State Police Colonel Thomas F. MacLeish stated, “We look forward to continually working to keep our children safe through existing partnerships amongst law enforcement and also with the Department of Justice. This will also be achieved through the continual development of our officers as they hone their skills and evolve to stay one step ahead of today’s online criminals. As the Colonel of the State Police, I am committed to this effort and will work to ensure that online child predators are identified and brought to justice.”
# # #

 

 

 

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.

New Developments Announced in Statewide Effort to Combat Online Child Sexual Exploitation

Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Wednesday, April 2, 2008



 

** Joint Release of the Delaware Department of Justice, Delaware Department of Safety and
Homeland Security, and the Delaware State Police **
Delaware Child Predator Task Force has new headquarters, member agencies
Dover, DE – Attorney General Joseph R. Biden, III, Delaware Safety and Homeland Security
Secretary David B. Mitchell, and State Police Superintendent Colonel Thomas F. MacLeish today
unveiled the new offices of the Delaware Child Predator Task Force at a press conference held in the
Task Force’s Dover headquarters. They also announced the recent addition of nearly thirty new police
agencies to the Task Force. Leaders from many of those new member agencies were represented at
Wednesday’s press conference.
“Our kids deserve the strongest, most coordinated defense against online predators, and that’s
exactly what the Delaware Child Predator Task Force is,” said Attorney General Joseph R. Biden, III.
“Together, we have made significant progress over the past year. Now, with these state-of-the-art
facilities and new member agencies from across the state, the Task Force will be proactively
identifying predators even earlier and getting them off the streets before they can harm our children.”
The Delaware Child Predator Task Force was established as the Delaware Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in June, 2007 by the Delaware Department of Justice and Delaware State Police, with support from the United States Attorney’s Office and other federal agencies. It is responsible for:
• Investigating complaints and referrals from citizens, state and local law enforcement agencies, federal agencies, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• Conducting proactive online investigations
• Participating in national online child sexual exploitation investigations
• Conducting prevention programs that educate children and their families on internet safety

In October, 2007, the Task Force received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, which it used to enhance its forensic capabilities, facilitate staff training, and secure the dedicated office space unveiled at today’s press conference. With over thirty law enforcement agencies now members of the Task Force, it is representative of the vast majority of the Delaware Law Enforcement Community.

“The ICAC Task Force and the statewide partnership are vital in the fight to protect our children and to bring child predators to justice. This is a serious problem throughout the country that is more significant than shared images of child pornography. It is about the abduction, rape, sexual assault and exploitation of our children,” said David B. Mitchell, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Delaware State Police Colonel Thomas F. MacLeish stated, “We look forward to continually working to keep our children safe through existing partnerships amongst law enforcement and also with the Department of Justice. This will also be achieved through the continual development of our officers as they hone their skills and evolve to stay one step ahead of today’s online criminals. As the Colonel of the State Police, I am committed to this effort and will work to ensure that online child predators are identified and brought to justice.”
# # #

 

 

 

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.