April is National Child Abuse prevention month, and the Nebraska Internet Crimes Against Children task force is working to keep them safe.
The ICAC task force is comprised of 50 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as prosecutors. The purpose of the task force is to investigate cases of child exploitation facilitated by the Internet or technology.
Sgt. Eric Jones of the Nebraska State Patrol says there are two primary types of investigations: reactive and proactive. Reactive investigations involve the task force following up on tips received from citizens, schools and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
"We also work proactive investigations. The most common are child enticement investigation where undercover police officers may pose as children in chat rooms or other Internet sites for the purpose of finding those whose interest is to exploit children and then investigating them.”
In addition to its investigative work, the ICAC task force also provides training to law enforcement and offers educational outreach to the community on Internet safety.