5400 Federal Plaza
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Hammond, IN 46320

219.937.5500

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Think Before You Post

        In May 2006, the Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse in the United States. Through increased investigations and prosecutions, we are getting pedophiles and predators off the streets and keeping them behind bars. We are raising awareness through old-fashioned communications, educating the public on ways to prevent the future sexual exploitation of children. The new public service announcements for Project Safe childhood will be unveiled at a national event on March 23, 2007. 

        As part of these prevention efforts, the Department of Justice has partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Ad Council to develop public service announcements, targeting teen girls with a message “Think Before You Post.”  Research shows that teenage girls are the most vulnerable to online solicitation. It has been estimated that at any given time, thousands of predators are on the Internet prowling for children. Teens, particularly teen girls, must be informed about the dangers they face online. According to one study, 1 in 7 children, ages 10 to 17, who are regular Internet users are sexually solicited online. Through increased investigations and prosecutions, we are getting pedophiles and predators off the streets and keeping them behind bars. 

We are working with our peers from all levels of government to build an arsenal of defense against sexual predators. This arsenal includes United States Attorneys, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force - which is a network of 46 regional task forces funded by the Office of Justice Programs - the FBI’s Innocent Images Unit, the CyberCrimes Center at ICE, investigators at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshal Service, and other local law enforcement officials, and community partners. As of December 1, 2006, there were 593,000 convicted registered sex offenders in the United States. More than 100,000 of them are noncompliant with the requirements that they register. These criminals must not be allowed to ignore the laws of this country.  The Project Safe Childhood partnerships are working to protect our children from Internet predators in every form - those who have been convicted, those who are non-complaint, and those who yet have been found.

        As part of the strategy developed by the Northern District of Indiana, an Internet predator take-down was initiated on July 10, 2006. As a result, between August 18  through August 19, 2006 over 30 individuals were charged with various violations of federal and state law involving Internet predators. This operation involved 29 law enforcement agencies - local, state, and federal. Over 161 law enforcement individuals participated. 

        In addition to this very public initiative, the District has also made available to schools through the Northern District of Indiana educational packets. We also have held numerous community meetings/presentations regarding Internet sexual predators, social networking websites and chatrooms.

        There are many Department-sponsored resources available on the Internet to help educate parents on how to maintain a safe home-Internet environment. These include NetSmartz.org; Isafe.org; and WebWiseKids.org. Parents must get involved by doing the following:

• Talk to your children about not responding to any unknown e-mail, particularly offensive or dangerous e-mail, chat, or any other communications.
• Keep the computer in a family room or other open area.
• Visit your children’s favorite sites and familiarize yourself to stay informed.
• Make sure your children’s screen names are non-descript so they cannot be identified as a child.

If anyone would like more information concerning Project Safe Childhood, please contact Assistant United States Attorney Phil Benson, Law Enforcement Coordinator James Mesterharm, or Intelligence Research Specialist Ryan Holmes.  Each of these individuals can be reached at 219-937-5500. Additionally, feel free to contact me at the same number.

Let’s all join the effort to keep our children safe.

- David Capp, Acting United States Attorney, Northern District of Indiana

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FACT SHEET: DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
PROJECT SAFE CHILDHOOD INITIATIVE

“Our nation has made this commitment: Anyone who targets a child for harm will be a primary target of law enforcement. That's our commitment.”
—President George W. Bush, October 23, 2002

The growing threat of sexual exploitation crimes committed against children through the Internet is a disturbing and unacceptable trend. The Department of Justice is committed to the safety and well-being of every child and has placed a high priority on protecting and combating sexual exploitation of minors. Much has been accomplished, but more must be done. Today, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales announced the creation of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative designed to protect our children as they navigate the Internet.

The Need for Project Safe Childhood:
As technology advances and as the Internet becomes more accessible, the number of computer-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes committed against children—including child pornography offenses and “traveler” or enticement crimes—will only continue to grow. The goal of Project Safe Childhood is to enhance the national response to this growing threat to America’s youth.

• In fiscal year 2005, federal prosecutors charged 1,447 child exploitation cases involving child pornography, coercion and enticement offenses against 1,503 defendants.

• This year, the Department of Justice will award more than $14 million to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) program, a national network of 46 regional task forces funded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs. The ICACs are key partners in Project Safe Childhood.

• Although progress has been made, a more coordinated partnership involving the state, local, and federal law enforcement entities and non-profits involved in Internet safety and the prevention of child exploitation is needed.

Key Components of Project Safe Childhood:
Project Safe Childhood will be implemented through a partnership of U.S. Attorneys, ICAC Task Forces, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement officials in each district to investigate and prosecute crimes against children facilitated through the Internet or other electronic media and communications devices. Communities will be able to design and execute programs tailored specially for their individual needs while maximizing national resources and expertise. There are five key components to this initiative:

• Integrated federal, state and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases
  Each U.S. Attorney will partner with ICAC Task Forces that exist within his or her district and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners working in the district to implement Project Safe Childhood. Working with these partners, U.S. Attorneys will develop district-specific strategic plans to coordinate the investigation and prosecution of child exploitation crimes; efforts to identify and rescue victims; and local training, educational, and awareness programs.

• Major case coordination by the Criminal Division
  The Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, in conjunction with the FBI’s Innocent Images Unit, will fully integrate the Project Safe Childhood Task Forces into pursuing local leads generated from its major national operations.

• Increased federal involvement in child pornography and enticement cases
  Given the beneficial investigative tools and stiffer punishment available under federal law, U.S. Attorneys and the federal investigative agencies will be expected to increase the number of sexual exploitation investigations and prosecutions. The goal is to ensure the worst offenders get the maximum amount of jail time possible.

• Training of federal, state and local law enforcement
  Members of the Project Safe Childhood Task Forces will attend training programs facilitated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the ICAC program, and other ongoing programs, in order to be taught to investigate and prosecute computer-facilitated crimes against children, as well as to pursue leads from national operations and from NCMEC’s CyberTipline and Child Victim-Identification programs.

• Community awareness and educational programs
  Project Safe Childhood will partner with existing national public awareness and educational programs that exist through NCMEC and the ICAC Task Force program, in order to raise national awareness about the threat of online sexual predators and to provide the tools and information to parents and youngsters seeking to report possible violations.

The Department of Justice Commitment to Project Safe Childhood
While law enforcement at all levels is already working to combat this issue, a more coordinated national effort is needed to maximize resources, in order to obtain the strictest penalties available under state or federal law. Sexual predators who target the most innocent and vulnerable of our society—our children—will be relentlessly targeted and prosecuted by the Department of Justice.