Task Force Efforts
- Since 2000, the Phoenix Police Department has been the primary grantee for the Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force grants in Arizona.
- Nationwide, the ICAC program has over 2,000 affiliated law enforcement agencies in all 50 states. Investigators engage in proactive undercover investigations, computer forensic examinations, and criminal prosecutions targeting offenders who use the Internet to victimize minors.
- The Phoenix PD ICAC Detail has developed formal partnerships with 54 agencies statewide whose members work cooperatively towards apprehending offenders and educating the community. State and local investigators work cooperatively with federal colleagues from the FBI, ICE, US Postal Inspection Service, US Marshals Service and US Secret Service.
- Over the past ten years, the ICAC grant program has brought over 1.5 million dollars to Phoenix with some of the funding shared with other agencies throughout Arizona.
- ICAC continuation grants have allowed the continued employment of one Phoenix Police sergeant who oversees the program along with funds for equipment and training that is shared with other law enforcement agencies statewide.
- The 2009 Recovery Act brought over $800,000 to the state and permitted the employment of one additional Phoenix Police detective and one secretary III position. Funds will also support statewide training for investigators of Internet crimes against children.
- Since 2000, Arizona detectives and special agents have logged over 6,000 incidents of Internet crimes against children and arrested hundreds of offenders.
- The most frequently investigated offenses are sexual exploitation of a minor, commonly known as child pornography, and luring of minors for sexual exploitation.
- Investigations often reach across state and national borders. Sometimes an Arizona victim is targeted by an offender from another state or country. The cross-jurisdictional nature of the offenses requires inter-agency cooperation that is facilitated by periodic meetings of ICAC leaders to discuss ongoing operations.
- A recent (2009) investigation into unlawful images resulted in the identification of an Arizona girl whose images are now part of a secure national database of identified victims of unlawful images. The database is part of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Childrens Victim Identification Program. The program identifies and rescues victims of unlawful images.
STAFFING
- As of September 2009 the Phoenix PD ICAC Detail is staffed by one grant-funded sergeant, one grant-funded detective and four City-funded detectives. A grant-funded secretary III position will be added in the near future.
EDUCATIONAL AWARENESS MESSAGE
- Sgt. Kardasz's advice for parents regarding the Internet: "Cyberspace can be compared to a big city street. On the bright side of the street are wonderful learning and business opportunities, supported by good and helpful people. On the dark side of the street are criminal sex offenders, fraudsters and identity thieves. The challenge for parents is to monitor and control childrens" Internet use to keep them out of harm’s way in cyberspace.”
- Reports of Internet crimes against children can be made through crime-stop, 911 or through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cybertipline at: www.cybertipline.com or by phoning the Cybertipline at 1-800- 843-5678.
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