Enhancing the ICAC Data System

This Category 2 program provides enhancing and refining existing investigative tools, methods, and technologies that address child pornography, exploitation, and sex trafficking. Examples include, but are not limited to, effective interviewing tactics (to include polygraphs) to ascertain whether an offender has previously engaged in hands-on abuse; case deconfliction tools; high-priority suspect identification; covert operation tools; national reporting and information-sharing capabilities among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement (particularly ICAC task forces); evaluation of existing technical resources and tools; and peer-to-peer investigative tools. This program is authorized pursuant to the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115–141, 132 Stat. 348, 423).

The West Virginia State Police designed and has maintained the ICAC Data System (IDS) since 2014. IDS currently has more than 8,000 registered users and allows for the transfer of cases to investigators, affiliates, and other task forces without delay. This system is intended to facilitate data deconfliction among ICAC task force agencies. It allows for the collection and aggregation of CyberTip data that are later reported to OJJDP. IDS can also function as a case management system for smaller agencies that do not have a system in place to provide this functionality.

With this funding, the West Virginia State Police proposes to make further improvements and developments, and to build additional modules for IDS. Project deliverables are broken down into three priorities. High priority deliverables include: adding an intermediate supervisor level that will allow ICAC commanders to effectively manage their cases and will normalize data with other ICAC systems, such as the ICAC affiliate database; developing the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s Child Victim Identification Program (CVIP) application programming interface (API) which will allow for faster response to identify new victims to make for quicker rescue; creating the Project VIC enhancement which will enable uploading of new material through IDS to Project VIC; upgrading ICACCOPS’ new API which will improve reliability and speed for deconfliction with ICACCOPS; development of Dark Web Targets on IDS to serve as a central repository to distribute Dark Web/TOR Network cases; building a tiered system to prioritize reported user and system issues; and providing online training on newly added features. Medium priority upgrades will include: building a read-only administrative role, collaborative case access, collaboration with international partners, a deconfliction notice, custom case status, PhotoDNA for image deconfliction, and case feedback text. Low priority upgrades will include: bulk hash deconfliction, enhanced performance measure reporting, full-text CyberTip searching, partial match/wild card deconfliction, identify TOR exit nodes in deconfliction; and combined training calendar. CA/NCF