Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program

The Vermont Office of the Attorney General, Vermont ICAC Task Force (VT-ICAC) will continue identifying, apprehending, and prosecuting those responsible for the victimization and exploitation of children through computers, technology, or the Internet. Investigative activity will include undercover operations designed to detect dangerous and illegal activity and to identify those involved in such activity. Funding will enable the task force to continue to educate and work closely with state and federal prosecutors to ensure swift and certain punishment of apprehended offenders and to expand educational outreach to the community, teaching Internet and online safety. The Vermont ICAC Task Force will continue to serve the entire state of Vermont, which comprises over 643,000 residents in 14 different counties covering 9,623 square miles through partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement prosecutors and educational institutions, and public outreach organizations.  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 Vermont ICAC Task Force will continue to maintain and expand their task force to address technology-facilitated child exploitation to prevent, interdict, and investigate ICAC offenses. They will continue to (1) Maintain and expand the ICAC task force to prevent, interdict, investigate, and prosecute Internet crimes against children; and (2) Improve the task force's effectiveness and serve as a resource for all communities and agencies within their geographic area of responsibility. They will conduct thorough and efficient computer forensic examinations, continue on-going partnerships with county and federal prosecutors to increase the number of investigations and prosecutions, and build capacity within its geographical region to increase the number of agencies involved in the investigation of ICAC related offenses.  Finally, the task force will conduct community outreach and education on Internet safety directed towards parents and children.