ICAC Task Force: Cook County - IL

The County of Cook (IL) ICAC Task Force ($696,224.00) will use ARRA grant funds to hire two investigators. Both investigators will be responsible for investigating and enforcing state and federal laws regarding Internet crimes against children and educating the community on the same. These ICAC investigators will be responsible for responding to sexual assault and abuse of children involving the Internet and child pornography cases received through National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTips, referrals from law enforcement, other ICAC Task Force members, parents and the community.

This grant program is authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) (the 'Recovery Act') and by the Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act of 2008, (P.L. 110-401, codified at 42 USC 17601 - 17616) ('the PROTECT Act'). The stated purposes of the Recovery Act are: to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery; to assist those most impacted by the recession; to provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health; to invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits; and to stabilize State and local government budgets, in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and counterproductive State and local tax increases.

The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program seeks to maintain and expand State and regional ICAC task forces to address technology-facilitated child exploitation. These task forces work collaboratively as a national network of law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies that prevent, interdict, and investigate Internet crimes against children. The program requires existing task forces to develop multijurisdictional, multiagency responses to such offenses by providing funding and other support to State and local law enforcement agencies as a means to help them acquire the necessary knowledge, personnel, and equipment.

NCA/CF