Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program

• Overview
• Programs and Funding
• Training and Technical Assistance
• Contacts
• Resources
   

Overview

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force program (ICAC) helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and Internet crimes against children. This assistance encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, and community education. 

The ICAC Task Force program was developed in 1998, in response to an ever-increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, an ever-increasing number of online images depicting child sexual abuse, and an ever-increasing amount of online activity by people seeking to contact and exploit children and teens. 

The program is a multinational and multijurisdictional network of 61 ICAC task forces—consisting of nearly 5,500 federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies—throughout the United States. 

In fiscal year (FY) 2024, ICAC task forces helped conduct approximately 203,467 investigations, which led to the arrest of more than 12,600 offenders. That same year, ICAC task forces trained approximately 46,000 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and other professionals in techniques to investigate and prosecute ICAC-related cases. 

Programs and Funding

In FY 2024, funding for the ICAC Task Force program totaled $39.9 million to support ICAC task forces and training and technical assistance. Program funding is supported under the Missing and Exploited Children appropriation included in the U.S. Department of Justice FY appropriation.

Funding History

• Fiscal Year 2024—$39.9 million
• Fiscal Year 2023—$40.8 million
• Fiscal Year 2022—$31.2 million
• Fiscal Year 2021—$34.6 million 
   

Training and Technical Assistance

The ICAC Training and Technical Assistance Program provides ICAC task forces and their affiliates with the training and technical assistance they need to conduct effective investigations and prosecutions. Training providers include the following:

• SEARCH, the National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics, conducts training related to social networking sites, peer to peer file sharing, wireless networks, and cell phone technology for law enforcement, prosecutors and allied professionals.  
• The National White Collar Crime Center provides training for law enforcement, prosecutors, and other stakeholders in the ICAC program to improve investigative, prosecutorial, and forensic capabilities; create and distribute guidelines, best practices, and investigative methodologies; and coordinate meetings with grantees and practitioners.  
• The Innocent Justice Foundation conducts a comprehensive mental health and wellness program for ICAC task forces to address negative effects and trauma for individuals exposed to child sexual abuse images through their work.  
• Fox Valley Technical College provides training focused on investigative techniques and best practices for undercover operations to combat Internet crimes against children and site-specific technical assistance to ICAC task forces.  
• The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children^® facilitates training for law enforcement; prosecutors; and criminal- and juvenile-justice, child-serving, and healthcare professionals on issues related to missing and exploited children.

Contacts

Visit the ICAC Task Force Contact Information section of the ICAC Task Force program website for state-specific contacts and websites.

Resources

OJJDP Publications

AMBER Alert Field Guide for Law Enforcement Officers (May 2019)
This guide aims to provide law enforcement personnel with information that will enable them to avoid or mitigate critical "pitfalls" when working a child abduction case. 

I am a Victim of Sextortion, What Can I do? It's Not Your Fault: Law Enforcement Guide (June 2023)
This sheet provides a summary of sextortion and its impact on victims. It aims to inform law enforcement, first responders, and other criminal justice personnel about the fact sheet Resources for Sextortion Victims. 

A National Evaluation of Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Training, Final Report (June 2023)
This report presents an assessment of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program by the National Evaluation of ICAC Task Force Training through the ICAC Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program. PDF 

National Strategy for Child Exploitation and Prevention Interdiction (June 2023)
The subject matter expert working group produced a series of 14 reports. The reports cover a range of child sexual abuse topics including prevention, sex trafficking, sextortion and wellness challenges for law enforcement professionals.

National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction Report to Congress (August 2010)
In complying with the provisions of the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, the Justice Department presents this second report to Congress on a National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction, which is the culmination of a year of discussions among members of an interagency working group convened by the National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction at the Justice Department. 

Protecting Children Online: Using Research-Based Algorithms to Prioritize Law Enforcement Internet Investigations, Technical Report (May 2016)
This OJJDP-sponsored project used data from 20 ICAC task forces to develop empirically based recommendations to assist law enforcement with conducting Internet investigations. 

I am a Victim of Sextortion, What Can I do? It's Not Your Fault (June 2023)
This resource guide on what to do in case of sextortion provides a step-by-step breakdown of actions for victims of sextortion to take, with additional links and phone numbers to national organizations and space for local organizations to provide their contact information. 

Review of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program: Interim Report to the Attorney General Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (November 2012)
This interim report features data covering fiscal years 2010 and 2011 and is intended to provide a summary of the ICAC program's statistical accomplishments. 

Related Websites

Online Child Exploitation Prevention Initiative (OCEPI)
OCEPI was established in 2023 to prevent children from becoming victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse. Members include federal, state and local law enforcement professionals, ICAC Task Force members, researchers, educators, prevention specialists, training partners and child protection organizations. 

Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children.