Staff Writer
The doors are locked. The lights are on. Parents are within earshot. Despite these safety measures, children can still be at risk.
The National Internet Crimes Against Children Conference began Tuesday at the Hyatt and its goal was to help better equip people to track down Internet predators and keep children safe. About 1,400 people attended the conference that wraps up today.
“Jacksonville provided a very competitive bid to bring us in,” said Amy Staubs, program manager from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs. “They really bent over backward to help us with the conference.”
The conference not only provided members of the law enforcement community the opportunity to find out about the latest equipment and technology to investigate the crimes, but it also provided a networking opportunity for local, state and federal agencies to develop interagency relationships.
“Having the conference in Jacksonville was a great resource for our officers,” said Detective John Madsen, of the Gainesville Police Department, head of the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. “It’s a low-cost option to provide quality training for members of the Task Force.”
There is at least one task force in every state, but, because of the size of the state, Florida has three, covering North, led by the Gainesville Police Department; Central, Polk County Sheriff’s Office; and South Florida, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
The purpose of the ICAC Task Force Program is to help state and local law enforcement agencies enhance their response to offenders who use the Internet, online communication systems or other computer technology to sexually exploit children.
The task forces want to spend as much time educating the good guys as they do tracking down the bad guys.
“We will provide Internet safety awareness presentations to anyone that will listen,” said Madsen. “We talk to schools, groups at community centers, churches and businesses. The more you get the message out there, the better chance we have of stopping these crimes.”
The North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was established in 2003 as the second task force in Florida. It is funded by federal grants authorizing the Gainesville Police Department to act as the host agency for the northern 38 counties of Florida.
In 2007, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office received a separate grant to establish the Central Florida ICAC Task Force consisting of central counties, thereby becoming the third task force in the state.
Madsen also said Jacksonville benefits from having both the ICAC program and an office of the Attorney General’s Child Predator CyberCrime Unit in the city.
Information on the North Florida ICAC Task Force can be found at www.floridaicac.net.
356-2466