Hello Everyone,
Evelyn here,
Below is a message fromt the Office of the Attorney General, Bill McCollum to add to annuals of "From the Loft To The Streets".
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From the Office of the Attorney General,
Bill McCollum Attorney General of Florida
Press Release
June 6, 2007
STATEWIDE OPERATION NABS 126 INTERNET
SEX PREDATORS
~ CyberCrime Unit, law enforcement agencies target individuals soliciting children online ~
TALLAHASSEE, FL – In an intensive statewide effort to stop the
Internet solicitation of children and the distribution of child
pornography, 126 individuals have been arrested by a task force of local,
state and federal law enforcement officials, including the Attorney
General’s Child Predator CyberCrime Unit. The arrests announced today were
part of “Operation Eviction,” a five-month initiative targeting individuals
who prey on children over the Internet and led by the Florida Department of
Law Enforcement (FDLE). The operation ran from January 1 through May 31,
2007.
“The importance of presenting a united front against cyber criminals,
when we are trying to protect our children, can not be over emphasized,”
said Attorney General Bill McCollum. “Internet predators know no
geographical boundaries, and we must fully cooperate to effectively cover
our state with our protective efforts. This operation has achieved
phenomenal results and my office will soon have 50 additional staff members
in the CyberCrime Unit to assist in these endeavors.”
“Florida’s law enforcement community will not tolerate individuals
who prey on the innocence of a child,” FDLE Commissioner Bailey said.
“Operation Eviction is an example of agencies pulling their resources
together with one goal in mind – protecting our children.”
Operation Eviction was a coordinated effort by Florida’s law
enforcement community in support of the U.S. Attorney General’s Project
Safe Childhood, which aims to combat the proliferation of
technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children by
merging together all available resources. Participants included the
Attorney General’s Child Predator CyberCrime Unit, the Florida Department
of Law Enforcement’s Computer Crime Center, the North Florida and South
Florida Internet Crimes Against Children task forces, the U.S. Attorney
General’s Office and local law enforcement agencies. During the operation,
261 investigations were initiated and 87 search warrants were executed.
Those arrested represent 28 counties.
“The United States Attorney's Offices in Florida are committed to
vigorously prosecuting child pornography and exploitation cases under the
Attorney General's highest priority, Project Safe Childhood,” acting U.S.
Attorney James R. Klindt stated. “Together with our state and local
partners, we will continue to aggressively pursue and incarcerate for the
longest terms possible those who would use the Internet to prey on
Florida's children.”
Today, more than 77 million American children regularly use the
Internet. According to the Federal Internet Crimes Against Children Task
Force, Florida ranks fourth in the nation in volume of child pornography.
Nationally, one in seven children between the ages of ten and 17 have been
solicited online by a sexual predator. In response to these statistics,
Attorney General McCollum was instrumental in developing and supporting the
CyberCrimes Against Children Act of 2007, a measure that toughens penalties
for those who use the internet to sexually prey on children. This bill,
which passed unanimously during the 2007 Florida Legislative Session, now
positions Florida as a national leader in the legal fight against child
pornography and internet solicitation of children. The legislation
increases penalties for the possession or distribution of child pornography
online and creates a new, separate penalty against internet predators who
communicate with a child online and then travel to meet that child for the
specific purpose of further sexually abusing him or her.
The CyberCrime Unit's mission isto protect childrenfrom
computer-facilitated sexual exploitation. The unit accomplishes this by
working cooperatively with statewide law enforcement agencies and
prosecutors to provide resources and expertise. Additionally, the unit
works to prevent the spread of these crimes through education and community
awareness.The CyberCrime Unit is a member of the Internet Crimes Against
Children Task Force (ICAC) of North Florida.
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Evelyn out.
