FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Contact: Tina Schwartz, NCMEC
703.837.6251
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STUDY DOCUMENTS LAW ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS COMBATING INTERNET SEX CRIMES
AGAINST CHILDREN
November 10, 2003 - Washington, DC - Law enforcement in the United
States is beginning to have notable success in their effort to combat
Internet-related sex crimes against children according to a new study¸
Internet Sex Crimes Against Minors: The Response of Law Enforcement. The
study pointed to more than 2,500 estimated arrests for such crimes from
July 1, 2000, through June 30, 2001, extensive cooperation among local,
state and federal agencies and the effective use of undercover sting operations
as some indicators of success. In addition, prosecutions of these Internet-related
crimes appear to be more successful than prosecutions for other child
sex crimes.
"This study provides the first research-based national overview
of how sex offenders are using the Internet to exploit children and how
law enforcement agencies are responding," stated National Center
for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) President Ernie Allen. "It
documents how this problem confronts law enforcement all across the country
at every level, and emphasizes the importance of continued training, education
and prevention efforts."
Through its cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice's
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, NCMEC commissioned
the study conducted by the Crimes against Children Research Center at
the University of New Hampshire.
The study found law enforcement pursuing Internet sex crime in a variety
of ways. Nearly 40% of arrested offenders were involved in criminal relationships
with actual children, which were mostly reported to law enforcement by
victims, their families and other individuals. A quarter of the arrests
came from undercover operations in which agents, posing as minors on the
Internet, were themselves solicited for sexual acts. Slightly more than
one-third of the arrests were of offenders who had not solicited victims,
but had used the Internet to download and trade child pornography.
These criminal activities were of a generally serious nature. For example,
83% of arrested offenders who possessed child pornography had sexual images
of children between the ages of 6 and 12 and 80% had images which explicitly
depicted the sexual penetration of minors.
The research, based on a national survey of law enforcement agencies
and more than 600 interviews with criminal investigators, highlighted
the complex nature of the challenges posed by Internet sex crimes against
minors. Because offenders often reside far from their victims and violate
both state and federal law, most of the investigations involved agencies
in multiple jurisdictions, and in nearly half, a federal agency as well,
such as the FBI or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
In spite of this complexity, the report found that 95 percent of the
state and 93 percent of the federal prosecutions led to convictions. The
report attributed some of this success to the extensive electronic evidence
that frequently exists when crimes involve the Internet.
The report urged continued training for law enforcement in the techniques
for combating Internet sex crimes, with particular emphasis on methods
for multi-jurisdictional co-operation.
To read a copy of the report, please visit "Featured Publications"
at www.missingkids.com or call 1.800.843.5678 to order a copy.
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working in cooperation with
the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention. Serving as the national clearinghouse for information and
a resource center for child protection, NCMEC has worked with law enforcement
on 94,000 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of 78,000 children.
NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for
child sexual exploitation, has received more than 160,000 leads. For more
information, please visit www.missingkids.com or call 800.843.5678.
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