DeLauro Announces Recovery Funding to Fight Internet Crimes Against Children
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn. -3) announced that the Connecticut Department of Public Safety will receive $584,975 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to protect children from internet crimes.
The grants, awarded through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program grants, will be used to maintain and expand state and regional ICAC Task Forces to address technology-facilitated child exploitation. The ICAC Task Forces work collaboratively as a national network of law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies that prevent, interdict, and investigate Internet crimes against children.
"In these tough economic times, our towns and municipalities, as well as the state of Connecticut, have been struggling with how to maintain services, particularly those aimed at preventing and controlling crimes aimed at children," said DeLauro. "This funding will assist them with ensuring the safety of the children in our communities, while creating or retaining jobs within law enforcement."
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included a direct appropriation of $50 million in grant funding for ICAC initiatives, which are distributed to the states using a formula. This program encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, and community education. There are currently fifty-nine state and local task forces in the Unites States representing over 2,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. These agencies are engaged in proactive investigations, forensic examinations, and effective prosecutions. By helping state and local law enforcement agencies develop effective and sustainable responses to online child victimization and child pornography, the ICAC program have built capacity at the local level to address technology-facilitated child exploitation offenses.