The increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with under-aged victims present both a significant threat to the health and safety of young people and a formidable challenge for law enforcement. In response to this problem, the FY 1998 Justice Appropriations Act, Public Law 105-119, directed OJJDP to stimulate creation of a national network of 鈥淪tate and local law enforcement cyber units to investigate child sexual exploitation.鈥�
Through this Congressional direction, OJJDP created the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program. The purpose of the ICAC program is to help State and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to cyberenticement and child pornography cases that encompass forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, and community education.
South Carolina鈥檚 Task Force is operated through the Attorney General鈥檚 Office and works closely with law enforcement around the state, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), and several other state and federal agencies. In addition to investigating and prosecuting child sexual exploitation, the S.C. ICAC Task Force also provides statewide training to law enforcement and prosecutors in various practical investigative and forensic areas.
The South Carolina Task Force is based out of the Attorney General鈥檚 Office; however, we have affiliates and partners across the state.聽 If you believe you are in danger or have been exploited by someone online,聽the first call should always be to your local law enforcement agency. They are the closest to you and most familiar with your area.
If you are looking for a specific ICAC Affiliate Agency, we are located throughout the state. Listed below is a current group of affiliates and partners that comprise the SC ICAC Task Force:
