The Jones County Sheriff’s Office is now one of the law enforcement agencies across the state working to fight the sexual abuse of children via the internet.
Investigator Lt. Kenny Gleaton explained in a March 28 interview that the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is federally funded and one of 60 agencies across the United States.
He said some of the task forces are state and other regional, but all of them go after the producers, distributors and anyone in possession child sexual abuse materials, photos and videos.
“This material is literally produced and distributed all over the world,” Gleaton said.
The lieutenant said the work starts with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and information can come from anywhere, including individuals, data storage companies or service providers.
“Service providers are required to report it if they come across it, but they are not required to look for it,” he said.
Gleaton said the information is forwarded to law enforcement. In Georgia, that is the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Their task force is housed within the Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit of the GBI. From there, the information is sent to local agencies.
According to the agency’s website, the mission of the ICAC Task Force is to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in developing an effective response to cyber enticement, child pornography and the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
This support encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, prevention and community education. The CEACCU consists of special agents, digital forensic investigators, intelligence analysts and administrative support staff. He said JCSO started the process of joining the Georgia ICAC Task Force in August. Gleaton and Corp. Jeff Sullivan attended training in Decatur in February and will be the contact person for local investigations. He said they attend monthly training sessions to keep up with the trends and have virtual meetings to keep up with the changing technology.
The lieutenant said the investigations can lead to search warrants for all the suspect’s devices.
“If materials are found, we look for any physical contact with minors,” he added.
Gleaton said they already had a case referred by ICAC that lead to a search warrant and arrest.
“The catalyst for us to get involved were four cases we had last year in Jones County,” he stated. “I’m not saying people are doing this more, but we are finding it more.”
The investigator said the fuel behind the crimes is the ease of distribution. He said a lot of it comes from outside the United States, but the bottom line is children are continually victimized.
Gleaton said another important aspect of being part of the task force is education in schools.
“We can provide web-based materials to help stop this,” he said.
Jones County Sheriff Butch Reece said it was all about keeping children safe.
“We are concerned about the future of children in our county and do all we can to protect them,” he said.
