FY2022 Idaho ICAC Task Force Program

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 Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (IICACTF) is a statewide multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional task force that detects, investigates and prosecutes individuals who use technology to prey on children. The task force consists of over 100 city, county, state and federal investigators, forensic examiners, prosecutors and support personnel who serve the entire state of Idaho with a population exceeding two million. IICACTF is lead by the Idaho Office of the Attorney General, which employs a unit of experienced investigators and forensic examiners who actively investigate ICAC cases on a full-time basis. IICACTF also equips, trains and supports other agencies throughout the state as well as, educates the public on Internet safety and crime prevention techniques.

With a significant rise in the amount of child exploitation cases being reported, the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force mission is to be the state’s law enforcement experts in the fight against technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation. The task force will (1) triage all referrals in a timely manner; (2) investigate as many triaged cases as we can reasonably handle; (3) partner with other law enforcement agencies by providing forensic services, training, and investigative assistance, and (4) engage the public through community outreach and education. The Idaho ICAC Task Force consists of 134 law enforcement and prosecutorial affiliate agencies serving multiple jurisdictions throughout the State of Idaho. The primary goal of the task force is to improve its effectiveness in activities aimed to protect youth from victimization by aggressively investigating perpetrators who distribute child sex abuse material and the enticement of victims online. To accomplish these goals, the task force will implement several federally funded strategies. These strategies include: 1. to increase the community awareness programs across the state to include incorporating parent educational programs, 2. to provide outside agencies with technical and investigative assistance, as needed, to ensure affiliate agencies receive the necessary training and tools to stay current on technology and online trends and to conduct proactive investigations through strategically planned operations with local agencies. As the lead agency for Idaho ICAC, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office (OAG) will continue to coordinate affiliate grant funding, assist in investigations as needed and provide any technical assistance. To maintain support for all task force members, the lead agency will maintain key ICAC positions including: Eleven (11) full-time OAG ICAC investigators, including the ICAC Commander; three (3) full-time ICAC analysts, two (2) full-time ICAC Prosecutors, and ten (10) full-time paid affiliates. Under the direction of the ICAC Commander, the Task Force will continue to coordinate affiliate equipment and funding, community education and outreach, investigate ICAC cases, and manage / distribute the multitude of CyberTips received each year.