Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2014, $262,979)
The National Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program, as established by the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, consists of State and local law enforcement task forces dedicated to developing effective responses to online enticement of children by sexual predators, child exploitation, and child obscenity and pornography cases. Each State and local task force that is part of the national program shall: 1) consist of State and local investigators, prosecutors, forensic specialists, and education specialists who are dedicated to addressing the goals of the task force; 2) engage in proactive investigations, forensic examinations, and effective prosecutions of Internet crimes against children; 3) provide forensic, preventive, and investigative assistance to parents, educators, prosecutors, law enforcement, and others concerned with Internet crimes against children; 4) develop multijurisdictional, multiagency partnerships and responses to Internet crimes against children offenses through ongoing informational, administrative, and technological support to other State and local law enforcement agencies, as a means for such agencies to acquire the necessary knowledge, personnel, and specialized equipment to investigate and prosecute such offenses; 5) participate in nationally coordinated investigations in any case in which the Attorney General determines such participation to be necessary, as permitted by the available resource of such task force; 6) establish or adopt investigative and prosecution standards consistent with established norms, to which such task force shall comply; 7) investigate, and seek prosecution on tips related to Internet crimes against children, including tips from Operation Fairplay, the National Internet Crimes Against Children Data System, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline, ICAC task forces, and other Federal, State, and local agencies, with priority being given to investigate leads that indicate the possibility of identifying or rescuing child victims, including investigative leads that indicate a likelihood of seriousness of offense or dangerousness to the community; 8) develop procedures for handling seized evidence for ICAC task force lead agencies and affiliate agencies; 9) maintain reports required by OJJDP and other reports and records as determined by the Attorney General; and, 10) seek to comply with national standards regarding the investigation and prosecution of Internet crimes against children, as set forth by the Attorney General, to the extent such standards are consistent with the law of the State where the task force is located.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) has identified the following goals for the Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children (AL ICAC) Task Force: 1) continue efforts to increase the number of affiliates participating in the ICAC Task Force; 2) continue to foster current partnerships with affiliate agencies and federal agency partners; 3) increase investigative capabilities in the detection, investigation, and apprehension of perpetrators of technology-facilitated crimes against children; 4) continue developing relationships with the U.S. Attorneys Offices; 5) increase the number of arrests for Internet crimes against children; and 6) continue increasing the number of child exploitation cases referred for federal prosecution. Grant funds will specifically fund one ALEA Special Agent position and ALEA Forensic Examiner position as well as investigative personnel costs and training for four affiliate agencies. Grant funds will also support forensic software license renewals such as Encase and Access Data FTK, Gargoly Forensics Pro Internet Evidence Finder, Cellebrite forensic tools, and training for ICAC members in the areas of peer-to-peer investigations, cell phone investigations, and computer forensics.
NCA/CF