The Dallas Police Department has received funding to continue the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) program. DPD was awarded $487,985 from the U.S. Department of Justice to combat sexual abuse and exploitation of children by the use of computer technology.
The funding covers working agreements with District Attorney’s Offices in Dallas, Tarrant and Potter Counties, Sheriff’s offices in Collin, Taylor and Wichita Counties, police departments in Arlington, Garland, Longview and Lubbock as well as the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center.
Funds received through the 2013 ICAC grant have enabled agencies to purchase equipment, train officers and pay for undercover operations. The grant also pays the full salary and benefits of two Dallas Police detectives/officers, equipment, training and undercover expenses for the department’s ICAC Squad.
The Dallas Police Department’s (DPD) ICAC Squad and other members of the Dallas ICAC Task Force, was responsible for the design implementation and management of “Operation Avalanche,” a 16-month investigation responsible for the arrest of more than 180 suspects nationally.
The squad also contributed to “Operation Cross Country”, an FBI-led partnership that recovered 149 sexually exploited children and arrested 150 people. DPD is also home to the High Risk Victims and Trafficking Team that specializes in investigations involving high-risk runaways, child victims of prostitution and human trafficking and repeat victims of sexual abuse.
Victims of human trafficking can be children or adults, U.S. citizens or foreign nationals, male or female. Traffickers are known to prey on victims as young as 9 and often target minor victims through social media websites, after-school programs, at shopping malls and bus depots, in clubs, or through friends or acquaintances who recruit students on school campuses.
To report sexually exploited or abused minors or human trafficking call 9-1-1 or download DPDs iWatch app at: http://dallas.iwatch911.us/. People can also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or report incidents at http://www.cybertipline.org.