Child Sexual Predator Crime Unit

The Child Sexual Predator Crime Unit is dedicated to investigating online child predators and child pornographers who use the Internet and computers to victimize children and prosecuting any crime perpetrated or substantially facilitated using a computer, the internet, digital media, cellular phone, or any other electronic device. In part this strategy involves undercover law enforcement officers posing as children in Internet chat rooms and social networking sites. It also involves detecting, investigating, and arresting those who victimize children by creating, sharing, and distributing images of child sexual violence and exploitation. The investigators in the unit are specially trained in current technologies, tactics, and the law. They also share their expertise through educational programs and community awareness efforts.

The Unit works in coordination and cooperation with public and private entities dedicated to the detection and prevention of online child exploitation, including Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces across the country, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Department of Justice.

The Child Sexual Predator Crime Unit’s investigators utilize state-of-the-art computer equipment and software to recover deleted files and partitions, locate and preserve digital evidence and contraband, and defeat passwords and encryption. The Anderson Police Department and the OAG’s Computer Forensics Unit has the ability to analyze many types of electronic media, including desktop and laptop computers running Windows, Macintosh, and Linux/Unix platforms; live servers (on scene and remote); digital cameras; PDAs; electronic game devices; and cell phones.

The unit prides itself on its strong partnerships and coordination with state, federal, and local law enforcement authorities.

D.A.R.E

Launched in 1983, D.A.R.E. is a comprehensive K-12 education program taught in thousands of schools in America and 52 other countries. D.A.R.E. curricula address drugs, violence, bullying, internet safety, and other high risk circumstances that today are too often a part of students’ lives.

Safe Kids Worldwide

Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to help families and communities keep kids safe from injuries. Most people are surprised to learn preventable injuries are the #1 killer of kids in the United States. Throughout the world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and almost every one of these tragedies is preventable.

Discovery Education Digital Safety Guides

Today’s fast-paced world provides students with an increasing number of digital tools at their fingertips – both in school and at home. As a teacher, it’s important to make digital safety a priority in your classroom and ensure that your students know how to act safely, responsibly, and thoughtfully online.

Department of Justice Facts and Statistics

Providing facts about sexual abuse is one of the ways to raise awareness about sexual abuse. Awareness of the facts is one of several preventive measures that can be taken to assist you in making better decisions to keep you and someone you know safe.

Research shows that one in five girls and one in ten boys will be sexually victimized before they reach adulthood[i] in the United States.

To put this in real numbers: In 2011 there were 75.6 million children living in the United States.  Assuming a 50/50 split by gender, this would mean the following:

  • 11,340,00 of these children will be sexually exploited by the age of 18.
  • 7,560,000 of these sexually exploited children will be girls.
  • 3,780,000 will be boys.

Most victims will be abused by someone they know – a family member or trusted adult — while some will be abused by people they met exclusively online, and some will be abducted. 

To reduce the chances of your child becoming a victim, or becoming a repeat victim, it is imperative that children be taught key safety concepts, how to set boundaries, and when to find an adult to get help.

If you believe a child is being abused or know a child abuser, don’t hesitate to contact local authorities.

[i] [D. Finkelhor. “Current Information on the Scope and Nature of Child Sexual Abuse.” The Future of Children: Sexual Abuse of Children, 1994, volume 4, page 37.]