WRPD joins efforts of ICAC task force

According to Police Chief Brett Evans, the warrants were served in the 100 block of Bowden Drive and the 300 block of Overlook Drive.

Evans said officers seized 13 computers and several other electronic storage devices. Both investigations are ongoing and no arrests have been made at this time.

The Warner Robins Police Department Computer Forensics Unit operates as an active member of the ICAC Task Force and is a member of the United States Secret Service’s Electronic Crimes Task Force.

“Operation Guarding Innocence” is a statewide effort targeting individuals who distribute child porn over the internet.

According to a press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, the operation is the largest of its kind in Georgia. The statewide endeavor includes 50 teams representing 47 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

As of Thursday, the task force had executed 77 search warrants, seized 159 devices previewed on-site, 187 hard drives/smart phones and 27 other devices (thumb drives, CDs, digital cameras, etc.) In all, 46 people were arrested on 86 counts related to possession of child porn.

The agencies participating in Operation Guarding Innocence are as follows:

Georgia Bureau Of Investigation, 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, United States Attorney’s Office Northern District Of Georgia, United States Attorney’s Office Southern District Of Georgia, United States Attorney’s Office Middle District Of Georgia, Houston County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett County Police Department, Atlanta Police Department, Cobb County Police Department, Newton County Sheriff’s Office, DeKalb County Police Department, Henry County Police Department, Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, Kingsland Police Department, Sandy Springs Police Department, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Clayton County Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, St. Mary’s Police Department, Camden County Sheriff’s Office, Loganville Police Department, Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Army CID, Athens-Clarke Police Department, Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, Union City Police Department, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, Savannah – Metro Police Department, Roswell Police Department, Watkinsville Police Department, Powder Springs Police Department, Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, Warner Robins Police Department, Columbus Police Department, Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, Marietta Police Department, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

The three-month investigation which ran from January through March centered on the ability of GBI agents and local affiliates who are members of the Georgia ICAC Task Force to detect specific child porn images being shared over the internet. Ninety-eight suspects have been identified as distributing child porn over the internet and are targeted for search warrants in the operation, according to the 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.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect. The ICAC Task Force Program is an important partnership that focuses its efforts to protect children on-line and hold offenders accountable. The ICAC Task Force investigators are committed to working tirelessly to strengthen police relationships and promoting awareness and participation in order to produce positive results that help make the Internet a safer place for America’s children.

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.

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