The National Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program, as established by the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, 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 Louisiana Department of Justice (LA DOJ) has identified the following goals for the LA ICAC Task Force: 1) improve task force effectiveness, and 2) maintain and expand the LA ICAC Task Force. The LA DOJ will support the LA ICAC Task Force by providing training and technical assistance to affiliate agencies and supporting LA DOJ investigator positions to conduct proactive and reactive investigations of technology-facilitated crimes against children. LA ICAC Task Force computer forensic examiners and investigators will attend training regarding digital forensic examinations, cell phone investigations and human trafficking as well as conferences such as the Dallas Crimes Against Children Conference and the National CyberCrime conference. Continuation funding will enable the LA ICAC to focus its efforts on investigations, forensics, prosecution, capacity building and public education. The award funds requested in this application will be used to focus on protecting children from computer facilitated sexual exploitation. Grant funding will be utilized primarily to maintain, train and equip personnel dedicated to the LA ICAC mission. NCA/CF
