OJJDP FY 12 Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program Continuation - MA

Pursuant to Section 104 of the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, the ICAC Task Force 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, educator, prosecutors, law enforcement, and others concerned with Internet crimes against children; 4) develop multijurisdictional, multiagency responses and partnerships 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 resource of such task force; 6) establish or adopt investigative and prosecution standards consistent with 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 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; 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 Massachusetts State Police will maintain and enhance the MA Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program by achieving the following objectives: 1) providing technical forensic assistance to law enforcement agencies on ICAC cases through consults as well as computer forensic examinations; 2) providing technical investigative assistance to law enforcement and prosecutors; and 3) expanding the number of affiliate agencies. Improvements to the MA ICAC Task Force's effectiveness to prevent, interdict, investigate and prosecute Internet crimes against children and technology facilitated child exploitations will be accomplished by providing specialized training for Task Force members and affiliates, prosecutors, and forensic examiners through supporting attendance at the National Cybercrime Conference, Dallas Crimes Against Children Conference, National ICAC Conference as well hosting training sessions provided by the ICAC National Training and Technical Assistance Program. Grant funds will also support updating hardware and software costs associated with investigating ICAC cases; overtime costs for ICAC investigations and provide funds to three subrecipients (Berkshire District Attorney's Office, MA Attorney General's Office, Bristol District Attorney's Office) to engage in community awareness and public education activities as well as to support personnel costs associated with investigating and prosecuting ICAC cases.
NCA/CF

Pursuant to Section 104 of the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force 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, educator, prosecutors, law enforcement, and others concerned with Internet crimes against children; 4) develop multijurisdictional, multiagency responses and partnerships 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 resource of such task force; 6) establish or adopt investigative and prosecution standards consistent with 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 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; 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 Massachusetts State Police (MA State Police) has established the following goals for the MA Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force: 1) maintain and expand the task force to prevent, interdict, investigate, and prosecute internet crimes against children and technology-facilitated child exploitation by providing technical forensic assistance and investigative assistance to task force personnel and affiliates and through expanding the number of affiliate agencies throughout the state; and 2) improve task force effectiveness to prevent, interdict, investigate, and prosecute internet crimes against children and technology-facilitated child exploitation through supporting specialized training, updating hardware and software, increasing the use of the mobile forensic unit, and automating Cybertip processing. Specifically, grant funding will support: a) overtime for MA State Police computer forensic and ICAC personnel to complete investigations and forensic exams as well as provide technical assistance to MA ICAC affiliates in these areas; b) purchase of computer hardware and software to conduct investigations and forensic examinations; c) support travel and registration costs for ICAC-related training, and d) contract with designated affiliates for the purpose of engaging in community awareness and supporting ICAC prosecutions.

NCA/CF