What We Do

Social media platforms and other tech companies are not required to search their servers for instances of child pornography, grooming or abuse. Instead, illegal content must be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) should it be found. Those cybertips are then sorted via location and provided to the correct law enforcement agency. That’s when our special agents begin to investigate alongside our partners to protect Louisiana’s children from abuse and exploitation.
 

Our Team

Our Internet Crimes Against Children, or ICAC Unit, is part of the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (LBI). Our unit is comprised of one ICAC Commander, one lab manager, two supervisory special agents, six investigators, ten forensic examiners, and two analysts all working around the clock with state, local, and federal affiliates to protect children from the dangers of the Internet. We are part of a much larger nationwide network of ICAC Task Forces dedicated to sharing information, resources, and expertise in the investigation, prosecution, and deterrence of online sexual exploitation of children.
 

The Problem

Cybertips can include anything from sexual conversations with juveniles to distribution of sexual abuse images or videos via social media. Over the years, the number of tips has grown exponentially with an enormous boom during the COVID lockdowns. In 2009, Louisiana received 172 tips; today, each investigator is now responsible for over 1,000 annual cybertips each. And every one of these instances represents a potential crime involving children from all races and socioeconomic backgrounds that likely need protection from groomers, abuse, and sex trafficking. Even worse? It’s believed that over 60% of these children know their abuser.
 

Our Mission

We exist to achieve three significant goals with our partners across the country:

1. Stop individuals who use the Internet to entice children to meet them fro sexual purposes
2. Investigate and prosecute those who possess, manufacture and distribute child pornography
3. Educate the public about online dangers that exist to children