This week, members of the Florida congressional delegation took “a behind-the-scenes look at the latest in child exploitation investigation protocols and assessed the work and needs of a front-line Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which protects our children from internet predators.”
U.S. Reps. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and a staffer working for U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., “joined various Florida ICAC commanders and frontline investigators on site to see how predator investigations unfold and the types of technologies and resources that are deployed.”
Wasserman Schultz and Moskowtiz weighed in after the tour. Back in 2008, Wasserman Schultz worked with then U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, on the “PROTECT Our Children Act” which created ICAC Task Forces. “The ICAC task forces aid local and state law enforcement in the creation and implementation of effective responses to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and Internet crimes against children,” the congressman‘s woman office noted.
“I am proud to have authored the Protect Our Children Act that embedded the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force into federal law,” said Wasserman Schultz.“Seeing up close the work they do, it’s heartbreaking to see the unfathomable and horrific crimes these teams help prevent and prosecute, but I also see the unmet needs that must be tackled as the perpetrators become even more tech savvy. After seeing the ICAC Task Force’s latest efforts, I remain committed to fortifying these vital child protection teams, and I’ll fight for the record funding that I helped secure in the FY 2024 House appropriations bill.”
“The exploitation of children on the internet has hit record highs. There is nothing more disturbing than an individual exploiting a child. These unfathomable actions taken by sick individuals not only destroy the lives of young children, but they destroy families and communities,” said Moskowitz. “Working alongside Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, we will renew our efforts to ensure law enforcement has every tool available to help protect our children from individuals who wish to destroy a child’s life.”
“With the advent of the internet, reprehensible predators have been able to lurk in the online shadows and target children from behind a screen,” said Cherfilus-McCormick. “Law enforcement officials must be fully equipped to identify and arrest these bad actors before children find themselves in harm’s way. In Congress, I will fight so that local, state, and federal authorities have the resources necessary to prevent exploitation online and can keep the most vulnerable members of our society safe.”
There are currently more than 60 task forces in all 50 states with more than 5,400 law enforcement agencies working together under the ICAC umbrella.
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