The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program
Launched in 1998, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC Program), started with only 10 Task Forces across the United States, but today it is a national network of 61 coordinated Task Forces representing more than 3,000 federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. These agencies are engaged in reactive, proactive, and forensic investigations, and criminal prosecutions.
By helping state and local agencies to develop effective, sustainable responses to online child victimization and child pornography, OJJDP has increased their capacity to address Internet crimes against children.
Since 1998, ICAC Task Forces have reviewed more than 180,000 complaints of alleged child sexual victimization resulting in the arrest of more than 16,500 individuals. In Fiscal Year 2008, the ICAC Program trained over 26,000 law enforcement personnel, over 2,200 prosecutors, and more than 8,000 other professional working in the ICAC field. In the first three quarters of Fiscal Year 2009, the number of trained law enforcement personnel increased to over 28,000, while 1,832 prosecutors have been trained.
In Fiscal Year 2008, ICAC investigations led to more than 3,108 arrests, over 14,339 forensic examinations, and the identification of over 1,000 real children who were victims of some form of abuse and neglect. As of the end of the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2009, ICAC investigations contributed to the arrests of nearly 3,300 individuals, with almost one-third of those arrests (1,275) resulting in the acceptance of a plea agreement by the defendant in lieu of a trial.
The ICAC Program helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to cyber enticement and child pornography cases. This help encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, and community education.
The ICAC Program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and heightened online activity by predators seeking unsupervised contact with potential underage victims. The Fiscal Year 1998 Justice Appropriations Act (Pub, L. No. 105–119) directed OJJDP to create a national network of state and local law enforcement cyber units to investigate cases of child sexual exploitation which resulted in the creation of the ICAC Task Force Program.