Stopping Internet Predators

Operation Kids presents $200k to ICAC to catch online predators

Money changes everything when it comes to stopping Internet predators. That is why Operation Kids was proud to present Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff  $200,000 on Monday to help fund undercover operations targeting online child abuse.  Shurtleff accepted the donation from Operation Kids on behalf of the Utah Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

It is easy to forget that there are children being victimized in our own neighborhoods. The Utah ICAC Task Force initially received $50,000 from Operation Kids and used it to mount two month-long undercover operations.  These two operations resulted in charges against 33 suspected child predators and child pornographers. Now when ICAC ran their sting operations this spring, we were not so much shocked by the number of arrests, as saddened to learn they could achieve equal results during most any 30-day period of the year.

Unfortunately, the ICAC Task Force is experiencing the same budget reductions as other state agencies. Notwithstanding, the task force has logged a nationally unprecedented 40% increase in arrests and convictions over the previous year.  This increase is due to the dedication of ICAC investigators to protect children and families and to the additional staff hours funded by these donations.

For those you of you who attended our gala honoring John Walsh last year, this donation is result of private and corporate pledges made that evening. Walsh, as we all know, is the dedicated host of America’s Most Wanted and has been instrumental in the apprehension of over 1,050 dangerous fugitives and in bringing home more than 50 missing children in the past 22 years. And we made a decisions that all funds raised during that night would benefit organizations serving child safety initiatives, as a tribute to Walsh.

Through this second donation to the Utah’s ICAC Task Force, we are honored to support  law enforcement and are proud to do our part in capturing more of those who prey on our most vulnerable citizens…our children.

Donations Help Get Child Predators Off the Street

When you don a tuxedo and sit down for a fancy dinner at a black-tie fundraising gala and you make a donation, do you know where it goes?

I’ve sat through more than a few black-tie fundraisers in my lifetime, and while many have been amazing, in many more cases I’ve often wondered if they money pledged really made an impact beyond the evening’s food and entertainment. It is one of the things I’m terribly conscious of each year as we plan the annual Operation Kids Lifetime Achievement Award Galas. Part of our pledge to donors is that we follow their money all the way through to the end.

Consequently, our office was full of excitement late last week as we learned that a major child pornography sting had successfully brought in more than a dozen offenders, with as many as 18 more arrests pending, as a result of a sizeable Operation Kids donation to the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce (ICAC) – one of the nation’s premier internet predator law enforcement agencies.

The money came directly from the generous donations of corporations like XanGo and America First and the more than 800 people who attended our 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award Gala, honoring John Walsh, in October.

 The ICAC team was able to fund the sting as a result of the donation. Each one of the donations played a role in the 14 arrests, seven search warrants, 37 computer seizures and 26 investigations launched into trafficking and solicitation of child pornography and underage sex.

“”We were able to get to these individuals sooner than later because of the extra funds,” -Rhett McQuiston, ICAC Commander

Dozens of predators are off the streets. Hundreds, likely thousands, of children are safer today because of the work ICAC does and because of the generosity of individuals and companies last fall.

This is why I come to work every day. This is why I believe in what Operation Kids does – because it works. Whether it is a $10 donation or a thousand dollar donation, every dollar makes an impact in a child’s life – and we strive to show the donor how.

 For further details and information on the sting, here are some great articles:

“Child Porn Sting Bankrolled by Private Foundation”

“Authorities Arrest 14 for Child Pornography” (another version of this story can also be seen here and here)