ICAC Task Force: Polk County-FL

The Polk County Sheriff's Office (FL) ICAC Task Force ($837,551.00) will use ARRA grant funds to create 2 new Computer Forensic Specialist positions for support operations of ICAC related investigations. These positions will be assigned to the Bureau of Special Investigations Computer Crimes Unit. They will dedicate 100% of their time to grant funded activities for the Task Force. Grant funds will also be used to make subgrants to affiliate law enforcement agencies to support personnel salaries: (1)Citrus County Sheriff's Office will be provided funding to create or maintain one detective position for a 24 month period; (2) Lake County Sheriff's Office will be provided funding to create or maintain one detective position for a 24 month period; (3) Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) will be provided funding to create one Computer Evidence Recovery Crime Laboratory Analyst position for a 24 month period; and (4). Florida Attorney General's Office (FAGO) will be provided funding to create one forensic analyst position for the Statewide Prosecutor's Office for a one year period.

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