U.S. Attorney General Jefferson B. Sessions III delivers remarks during the opening ceremony of the 2017 National Law Enforcement Training on Child Exploitation on June 6, 2017, in Atlanta, GA.

On June 6–8, 2017, OJJDP held its National Training for Law Enforcement on Child Exploitation in Atlanta, GA. In his keynote address, U.S. Attorney General Jefferson B. Sessions III heralded the efforts of law enforcement agencies committed to combating child exploitation.

“One of the privileges of being Attorney General is the chance to lead and support those of you who fight to stop child exploitation,” said Mr. Sessions. “Few others can say that their work matters so much. You are rescuing and protecting innocent children, and bringing to justice truly evil people who commit horrific crimes.”

The Attorney General also applauded the work of the OJJDP-supported Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force program and National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Mr. Sessions was joined at the training by OJJDP Acting Administrator Eileen M. Garry, who pledged OJJDP's continued support of the ICAC program and acknowledged the constantly evolving nature of the work. “Internet predators continue to explore new ways to reach our children in our homes and communities,” said Ms. Garry. “As long as this danger exists, we cannot declare victory. This is what this week’s training is all about—providing each of you the opportunity to learn new techniques to protect our nation’s most vulnerable population—our children.”

The event brought together more than 1,500 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and computer forensic examiners for specialized training on investigating and prosecuting technology-facilitated crimes against children. The training offered participants more than 20 sessions to learn about the latest legal issues and technological developments from some of their most experienced and knowledgeable peers.

“Our greatest strength in this ever-changing battlefield is the partnerships we have developed that span the federal, state, and local levels,” said Ms. Garry. “It is our ability to work together across jurisdictional, state, and even national boundaries that makes the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force program so effective.”

Over the past 19 years, OJJDP has built the ICAC network from its original 10 task forces into today’s nationwide network of 61 task forces consisting of more than 4,500 federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. Since the program’s inception, task force investigations have led to the arrests of more than 73,000 people suspected of sexually exploiting children—including 8,800 within the last year.

Resources:

Visit OJJDP’s website for more information on the Office’s law enforcement programs and services.

More information on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is available online.