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Crime & Safety

Forsyth Sheriff's Office Assists GBI in Child Porn Investigation

The office was one of 47 agencies who took part in the three-month investigation.

As a result of a three-month investigation coordinated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, search warrants were recently issued for the distribution of child porn over the Internet in 37 Georgia counties, according to a GBI press release.

Just in time for April's National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the state-wide endeavor - known as "Operation Guarding Innocence" - included 50 teams representing 47 federal, state and local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, including the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.

Agencies participating in Operation Guarding Innocence include:

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1.      Georgia Bureau Of Investigation

2.      U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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3.      U.S. Secret Service

4.      Homeland Security Investigations

5.      Federal Bureau Of Investigation

6.      U.S. Marshal Service

7.      Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms And Explosives

8.      United States Attorney’s Office Northern District Of Georgia

9.      United States Attorney’s Office Southern District Of Georgia

10.  United States Attorney’s Office Middle District Of Georgia

11.  Houston County Sheriff’s Office

12.  Gwinnett County Police Department

13.  Atlanta Police Department

14.  Cobb County Police Department

15.  Newton County Sheriff’s Office

16.  DeKalb County Police Department

17.  Henry County Police Department

18.  Walton County Sheriff’s Office

19.  Paulding County Sheriff’s Office

20.  Kingsland Police Department

21.  Sandy Springs Police Department

22.  Liberty County Sheriff’s Office

23.  Clayton County Police Department

24.  Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

25.  Richmond County Sheriff’s Office

26.  Columbia County Sheriff’s Office

27.  St. Mary’s Police Department

28.  Camden County Sheriff’s Office

29.  Loganville Police Department

30.  Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office

31.  Effingham County Sheriff’s Office

32.  Army CID

33.  Athens-Clarke Police Department

34.  Coweta County Sheriff’s Office

35.  Union City Police Department

36.  Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office

37.  Savannah – Metro Police Department

38.  Roswell Police Department

39.  Watkinsville Police Department

40.  Powder Springs Police Department

41.  Lamar County Sheriff’s Office

42.  Warner Robins Police Department

43.  Columbus Police Department

44.  Bartow County Sheriff’s Office

45.  Marietta Police Department

46.  Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office

47.  Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office

The operation, which ran from January through March, centered on the ability of GBI agents and the task force to detect specific child porn images being shared over the Internet. Ninety-eight suspects were identified as distributing child porn over the Internet and were targeted for search warrants in the operation.

According to the press release, the mission of the ICAC Task Force Program, created by the U. S. Department of Justice and housed within the GBI, is to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in developing an effective response to cyber enticement and child pornography cases. This support encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, prevention and community education. The program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims. By helping state and local law enforcement agencies develop effective and sustainable responses to online child victimization and child pornography, the ICAC program delivers national resources at the local level.

In 2008, the Georgia ICAC Task Force made 109 arrests and in 2009 made 164 arrests. In 2010, the task force made 162 arrests and in 2011, made 173 arrests. There were a total of 163 arrests made in 2012. There have been 974 arrests in Georgia by the ICAC Task Force since it was established in 2002.

Visit the Georgia ICAC Task Force website or the GBI website.

You might also be interested in reading:

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Sex Offender Wanted by Forsyth Sheriff's Office

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