GBI: Arrests on the Rise for Child Exploitation Cases

Decatur, GA – The number of arrests resulting from investigations conducted and coordinated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC) and the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force has steadily risen over the past 3 years. The following lists the number of arrests made between fiscal years 2014 and 2016:

• Arrests FY 2014 = 189
• Arrests FY 2015 = 201
• Arrests FY 2016 = 275
This increase is a direct result of the added number of very active new affiliates who partner with the GBI to conduct more proactive investigations. These increased proactive efforts produce tangible results. GBI Special Agent in Charge of the CEACC Unit Debbie Garner stated “These increased arrests illustrate the importance of the Task Force working together and show that individuals attempting to exploit children will not be tolerated.” Over the past year, multiple undercover operations have been conducted by the task force with arrests of individuals from all walks of life.

The Georgia ICAC Task Force is comprised of 200+ local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, other related criminal justice agencies and prosecutor’s offices. The mission of the ICAC Task Force, created by the U. S. Department of Justice and managed and operated by the GBI in Georgia, 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 ICAC 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.

The Georgia ICAC Task Force received almost 3,000 tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in 2015 and worked 3,872 investigations related to child exploitation. The GA ICAC TF also conducted 391 Internet safety presentations.