Task force gets $200,000 to take down internet predators
For Immediate Release
From the Office of the Attorney General
Money changes everything when it comes to stopping Internet predators. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff received $200,000 today to help fund undercover operations targeting online child abuse. Shurtleff accepted the donation from Operation Kids on behalf of the Utah Attorney General's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
"This donation demonstrates again the commitment of Operation Kids and its donors to protect children," says Shurtleff. "We are honored by this continued support and look forward to using this donation to capture those who prey on our most vulnerable citizens—our children."
The Utah ICAC Task Force initially received $50,000 from Operation Kids and used it to mount two month-long undercover operations. "Operation March Madness" resulted in charges against 27 suspected child predators and child pornographers. A month later ICAC agents launched "Operation April Fools" and arrested six suspects.
"The ICAC Task Force is experiencing the same budget reductions as other state agencies," says Ken Wallentine, Director of Law Enforcement for the Attorney General's Office. "Notwithstanding, the task force has logged a nationally unprecedented 40% increase in arrests and convictions over the previous year. This increase is due to the dedication of ICAC investigators to protect children and families and to the additional staff hours funded by these donations. Operation Kids is directly responsible for funding two complex and comprehensive undercover operations that netted numerous aggressive child predators."
The total $250,000 donation from Operation Kids is the result of generous support from corporate and private sponsors of its last gala honoring John Walsh. The donation helps pay for overtime for large-scale operations that was once covered by federal funding.
"It is easy to forget that there are children being victimized in our own new neighborhoods," says Operation Kids President Rick Larsen. "When ICAC ran their sting operations this spring, we were not so much shocked by the number of arrests, as saddened to learn they could achieve equal results during most any 30-day period of the year. We are proud that we are able to do more to protect Utah's youth."
Larsen, Operation Kids Chairman Dennis Webb, board member Gov. Norman Bangerter and corporate partner Bob Freeze from XanGo participated in the presentation. Internet safety tips and more information about the Utah ICAC Task Force can be found at http://www.attorneygeneral.utah.gov/internet_safety.html.
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