WI Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force: Forensic Capacity Hiring Program for Wounded Veterans

The National Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program 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 resource 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. Awards under this program will assist ICAC task forces to meet the demand for effective and efficient forensic examinations to support investigation and prosecution of online enticement and exploitation of children by sexual predators and child pornography.

The goal of the OJJDP FY 2020 ICAC Task Forces: Forensic Capacity Hiring Program for Wounded Veterans is to hire wounded, injured, or ill special operations veterans to (1) serve as analysts to enhance the digital forensic examination capacity of select ICAC task forces; (2) improve task force effectiveness to prevent, interdict, investigate, and prosecute Internet crimes against children and technology-facilitated child exploitation; and (3) reduce forensic examination backlogs and/or increase the number of forensic exams completed by ICAC task forces. This project will provide funding for the Wisconsin DOJ – Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the Wisconsin ICAC Task Force to support law enforcement agencies investigating and prosecuting technology-facilitated child exploitation by conducting forensic examinations. Grant funds will support a digital forensics analyst position in the Wisconsin DOJ. The funded digital forensic analyst will close 30 cases each year over two years (60 cases total). (CA/NCF)