On Wednesday, officials announced that 141 people were arrested across Southern California by authorities, with alleged ties to online child sex abuse, after a week-long sting operation spanning 5 counties.
The operation was dubbed “Protect the Innocent,” and was spearheaded by the Los Angeles Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force of the Los Angeles Police Department, and spanned the dates of Sept. 6-12, according to a news release from the LAPD. The operation included arrests in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties.
The arrests came after a significant increase in online child sexual abuse reports coinciding with the COVID pandemic.
“When we first started in 2004, we started LAPD’s ICAC because we received 458 tips that year,” Capt. Jeff Bratcher told the Los Angeles Times. “In 2019 that number rose to 8,500. In 2020, 2021, both years, were over 24,000. This year so far, we’re over 25,000, so we should end the year with over 36,000 cybertips. And each one of these tips was one more potential child victim.”
Law enforcement officials followed tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Crimestoppers.com, conducting compliance checks on those who were required to register as a sex offender and had a history of internet crime.
110 individuals were arrested on suspicion of possessing, distributing, or manufacturing child sexual abuse material, according to the news release. Further, 18 people were arrested on charges of parole or probation violations, six were arrested on charges of sexual abuse of a minor, two of statutory rape, two of pimping, and three on charges of disorderly conduct.
“Multiple residential search warrants were served throughout the five counties, in addition to arrest warrants, which focused on child predators,” authorities said in the release.
Law enforcement urged parents to help monitor what their children do online.
“Parents are used to seeing children with an electronic device in their hands,” LAPD said in the release. “Most of the time this enriches our children’s lives and helps with their education; however, parents and caregivers have to know that there can be danger awaiting their children on the internet.”
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