Houston Metro ICAC Task Force Program

The Houston Police Department, Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (HMICAC) will continue to maintain, expand, and improve the Houston ICAC Task Force’s effectiveness in preventing, interdicting, investigating, and prosecuting Internet crimes against children and technology-facilitated child exploitation. HMICAC will provide training to affiliate task force investigators in reactive and pro-active techniques utilizing the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Operational and Investigative Standards. The HMICAC will continue to work with its affiliate agencies to conduct community outreach and awareness training regarding internet safety at schools, churches, and civic organizations to safeguard children from Internet predators. HMICAC will collect and maintain statistics from these affiliate agencies on the number of investigations initiated, the number of arrests and prosecutions of offenders, the number of forensic examinations completed, and community awareness training conducted.  The primary goal of the Task Force will be to expand the quantity and quality of detection, investigation, apprehension, and prosecution of electronic technology-facilitated crimes against children.  Progress will be measured through monthly and semi-annual reports as required by the Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).

The National Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program, 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 resources 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 Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (HMICAC) has made significant progress in the fight against child sexual exploitation in the eight counties that comprise the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (Houston CMSA) as described in the grant.

Through the establishment of affiliate ICAC agencies, HMICAC will continue to reduce the exploitation of children by expanding the number of affiliate law enforcement agencies and personnel dedicated to investigating and prosecuting Internet-related crimes against children. HMICAC will accomplish this by training affiliate task force investigators in both reactive and pro-active techniques utilizing the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Operational and Investigative Standards. Affiliate task force investigators will be trained on how to pursue investigative leads received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline and how to initiate pro-active investigations using undercover chat techniques and peer-to-peer platforms.

In addition, undercover operations targeting offenders who actively seek out children on the Internet will be conducted to prevent more children from becoming victims of these predators. By conducting thorough and detailed investigations, gathering evidence through the use of the above-mentioned proactive computer tools, and with corroboration with Federal and State prosecutors in the Houston CMSA, investigators will ensure the successful prosecution of offenders of Internet crimes against children offenses.