Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Work Results in 100 Arrests & 11,000 Educated
February 28, 2007
The Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force recently completed a 25-month campaign resulting in 1,310 investigations, 100 arrests and Internet crime prevention training for over 11,000 children, adults and law enforcement officers.
“We are very proud of the Task Force’s efforts during the most recent grant-funding cycle,” said Ms. Audrey Sibley. Ms. Sibley, who was Miss Arizona in 2005, is the spokesperson for the Task Force and a popular statewide lecturer for the Arizona ICAC Task Force crime prevention effort.
The Arizona ICAC Task Force includes a statewide association of 47 Arizona law enforcement agencies whose detectives and special agents work cooperatively to investigate and bring to justice offenders who use the Internet to victimize minors. The Task Force also provides or facilitates training to children, adults and law enforcement officers throughout Arizona.
ICAC Investigators often work proactively during undercover Internet operations to identify and apprehend sexual predators and traffickers of child pornography. Investigators also receive tips and referrals from the National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cybertip line.
Arizona ICAC Task Force operations began officially in 2000, when the Phoenix Police Department received the first in a series of ICAC grants from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The most recent grant, totaling $450,000, provided shared monies that permitted local law enforcement agencies to fund personnel, equipment and training to support their Internet crime fighting efforts.
Arizona ICAC Task force affiliated law enforcement agencies statewide include the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, police and sheriff’s departments in Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale, Yavapai County, Flagstaff, Kingman, Bullhead City, Coconino County, Springerville, Cochise County, Oro Valley and many others (see the map at the end of this message). Prosecutions in the Phoenix area are conducted through the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
On a wider scale, the National ICAC Task Force program includes 46 primary law enforcement agencies covering every state. Each state’s Task Force is affiliated with dozens of local agencies, all of whom work towards apprehending Internet sexual predators and providing education for the purpose of preventing Internet crime. Each Task Force also works cooperatively with Federal investigative agencies including the FBI, ICE, USPIS and the Secret Service. Congress has not yet approved continued funding towards the ICAC Task Force effort.
Arizona ICAC Task Force - Selected Significant Incidents
During the 25-month grant-funding period beginning January 1, 2005 and ending January 31, 2007 the following significant incidents occurred:
A list of statistics about the Arizona ICAC Task Force’s efforts and a list of bullet-points of significant incidents follow:
Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Progress Report: January 1, 2005 – January 31, 2007
Investigations
1,310 new investigations were initiated during the 25-month grant reporting period that began January 1, 2005 and ended January 31, 2007.
Categorization of investigations by type of investigation
The 1,310 investigations initiated during this grant reporting period are categorized as follows:
Child pornography related (54%)
Luring/enticement or child prostitution related (28%)
Assists to other agencies (17%)
Hacking / intrusion (1%)
Categorization of investigations by the source of the original information
Of the 1,310 new investigations initiated during this grant period the cases are categorized by the source of the original information as follows:
Arrests & adjudications
100 offenders were arrested, indicted or adjudicated from cases originated during this or previous grant reporting periods for crimes including Internet related child pornography, child enticement (luring) or contact sex offenses where the Internet was part of the offense.
The Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force recently completed a 25-month campaign resulting in 1,310 investigations, 100 arrests and Internet crime prevention training for over 11,000 children, adults and law enforcement officers.
“We are very proud of the Task Force’s efforts during the most recent grant-funding cycle,” said Ms. Audrey Sibley. Ms. Sibley, who was Miss Arizona in 2005, is the spokesperson for the Task Force and a popular statewide lecturer for the Arizona ICAC Task Force crime prevention effort.
The Arizona ICAC Task Force includes a statewide association of 47 Arizona law enforcement agencies whose detectives and special agents work cooperatively to investigate and bring to justice offenders who use the Internet to victimize minors. The Task Force also provides or facilitates training to children, adults and law enforcement officers throughout Arizona.
ICAC Investigators often work proactively during undercover Internet operations to identify and apprehend sexual predators and traffickers of child pornography. Investigators also receive tips and referrals from the National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cybertip line.
Arizona ICAC Task Force operations began officially in 2000, when the Phoenix Police Department received the first in a series of ICAC grants from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The most recent grant, totaling $450,000, provided shared monies that permitted local law enforcement agencies to fund personnel, equipment and training to support their Internet crime fighting efforts.
Arizona ICAC Task force affiliated law enforcement agencies statewide include the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, police and sheriff’s departments in Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale, Yavapai County, Flagstaff, Kingman, Bullhead City, Coconino County, Springerville, Cochise County, Oro Valley and many others (see the map at the end of this message). Prosecutions in the Phoenix area are conducted through the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
On a wider scale, the National ICAC Task Force program includes 46 primary law enforcement agencies covering every state. Each state’s Task Force is affiliated with dozens of local agencies, all of whom work towards apprehending Internet sexual predators and providing education for the purpose of preventing Internet crime. Each Task Force also works cooperatively with Federal investigative agencies including the FBI, ICE, USPIS and the Secret Service. Congress has not yet approved continued funding towards the ICAC Task Force effort.
Arizona ICAC Task Force - Selected Significant Incidents
During the 25-month grant-funding period beginning January 1, 2005 and ending January 31, 2007 the following significant incidents occurred:
- In January 2005, a registered sex offender who had previous convictions in Oregon and Tennessee was observed in the library at Arizona State University using a computer to view child pornography. The Arizona State University Police affiliate of the Task Force arrested the man.
- In April 2005, a fraudulent scheme investigation by the Eloy Police Department affiliate of the Task Force resulted in the identification and apprehension of a gas-station cashier for possession of child pornography.
- In July 2005, a proactive investigation by a Phoenix detective identified an Internet sexual predator who had committed a similar offense 20 years ago.
- In August 2005, a 13 year old Milwaukee, Wisconsin boy was lured to Phoenix by a wanted sex offender from Oklahoma. Detectives arrested the offender, retrieved the boy and returned him to Wisconsin.
- In November 2005, a Phoenix neuropsychologist was arrested in a proactive investigation after he lured an undercover officer whom the man believed was a young boy. Further investigation revealed that the man was also a contact offender who had molested a boy in Phoenix.
- In February 2006, after a three-month, multi-state investigation into a child pornography trafficker who used computers at the Phoenix Public Library, the suspect was arrested at a library computer.
- In June 2006, ICAC investigators from the Phoenix and Mesa Police Departments used information from NCMEC Cybertip reports to identify and apprehend a trafficker of child pornography in Mesa.
- In July 2006, the Task Force conducted a 4-day, multi-agency proactive investigation which was titled, “Project Safe Childhood - Arizona”. The work of numerous investigators from affiliated agencies resulted in the arrests of six suspects for crimes including the luring of minors for sexual exploitation and/or possession of child pornography. During the investigation, several other Internet predators were identified after they initiated contact with undercover officers whom they believed were minors. Yahoo, Cox and Qwest each designated employees available 24/7 during the operation to immediately respond to subpoenas in order to quickly identify suspects.
- In September 2006, investigators executed a search warrant at a Camp Verde, Arizona residence as the result of an investigation into file shared child pornography. Suspect Leslie Davies was arrested. Investigators learned that Davies was wanted in Mississippi for sexual molestation of a minor.
- In December 2006, investigators executed a search warrant at the home of a Phoenix man involved in file-shared child pornography. The man was arrested. The investigation and arrest resulted in the Task Force receiving the January 2007, “Child Defender of the Month” award from the National Law Center for Children and Families.
A list of statistics about the Arizona ICAC Task Force’s efforts and a list of bullet-points of significant incidents follow:
Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Progress Report: January 1, 2005 – January 31, 2007
Investigations
1,310 new investigations were initiated during the 25-month grant reporting period that began January 1, 2005 and ended January 31, 2007.
Categorization of investigations by type of investigation
The 1,310 investigations initiated during this grant reporting period are categorized as follows:
Child pornography related (54%)
471 for possession of child pornography.
204 for distribution of child pornography.
35 for manufacturing child pornography.
Luring/enticement or child prostitution related (28%)
351 for the Internet-related luring of minors or child prostitution.
12 for sexual predators who wished to travel for the purpose of meeting a minor for sex.
Assists to other agencies (17%)
220 assists to other law enforcement agencies.
Hacking / intrusion (1%)
17 investigations of computer hacking or intrusion related to Internet crimes against children.
Categorization of investigations by the source of the original information
Of the 1,310 new investigations initiated during this grant period the cases are categorized by the source of the original information as follows:
611 were sent from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
602 were the result of information received by citizens (not through NCMEC).
97 investigations were initiated by undercover investigators using proactive methods.
Arrests & adjudications
100 offenders were arrested, indicted or adjudicated from cases originated during this or previous grant reporting periods for crimes including Internet related child pornography, child enticement (luring) or contact sex offenses where the Internet was part of the offense.