NCMEC launches 1st ever victim ID lab to fight child porn

NCMEC launches 1st ever victim ID lab to fight child porn
Media Advisory National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Launches First-Ever Victim Identification Lab to Fight Child Pornography Dallas Crimes Against Children Conference to Host Lab for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors to Aid in National Efforts to Identify Child Victims Washington, DC – August 16, 2006 WHAT: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) Child Victim Identification Program (CVIP) is partnering with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces (ICAC) to launch the first-ever U.S.-based Victim Identification Lab. By using law enforcement officers and prosecutors from across the country who are participating in the Crimes Against Children Conference, this U.S. initiative can potentially generate new leads to aid in the identification of child victims while maintaining the dignity of each child. The Victim Identification Lab was created in cooperation with the ICAC Task Forces, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Lab contains photos and videos that have been sanitized and the graphic material removed. WHO: Michelle Collins, Director of the Exploited Child Unit, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Brad Russ, Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce Ron Laney, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Arnold Bell, Federal Bureau of Investigation Ray Smith, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Eric Pond, Immigration & Customs Enforcement WHEN: August 20, 2006 Noon – 5:00 p.m. August 21, 2006 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. August 22, 2006 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. August 23, 2006 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. August 24, 2006 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. WHERE: The Hyatt Regency Dallas Reunion E 300 Reunion Boulevard Dallas, TX 75207 CONTACT: *For more information contact: NCMEC Media line – 703-837-6111 http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2564

Press Release NEW NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN INITIATIVE TO IDENTIFY CHILD VICTIMS OF PORNOGRAPHY GENERATES LEADS Law Enforcement and Prosecutors Produce Over 560 Leads at the First-ever U.S.-based Victim Identification Lab Washington, D.C., September 1, 2006—The debut of the first-ever U.S.-based Victim Identification Lab, created by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), has already generated more than 560 leads in the effort to identify child victims of pornography. Launched in Dallas, Texas at the Crimes Against Children Conference August 21-25, the Victim Identification Lab allowed select conference attendees, representatives from law-enforcement and prosecutors from around the world, to contribute to the efforts of NCMEC to identify child victims seen in sexually abusive images. During the week, 540 registered users visited the lab 778 times, viewed “sanitized” images and posted information that generated over 560 leads. As a result, jurisdictions have been identified for five children and in one case, the identity of a previously unknown child victim was determined. “The collaborative effort of law enforcement and prosecutors involved in the Victim Identification Lab has proven that by working together we can identify clues needed to find these children and stop future exploitation and abuse,” said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of NCMEC. “This was the first step in an ongoing aggressive initiative that taps national and international resources to identify and rescue child victims.” Partnering with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces, NCMEC’s Child Victim Identification Program (CVIP), which serves as the national clearinghouse for child pornography cases and the main point of contact to international agencies for victim identification, worked in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service to bring the Lab to the conference and staff over 42 hours of operation. Participants included law-enforcement officials and prosecutors from 48 states and 11 countries. Participants viewed 50 files with the graphic material removed, both photographs and videos, showing background identifiers, audio clues, children’s faces and suspects’ faces. The Lab featured 30 individual workstations, donated by the ICAC Task Forces, with real-time message posting of comments and suggestions that could be viewed by everyone in the Lab. U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and Assistant Attorney General Regina B. Schofield toured the lab and received a demonstration of its capabilities on opening day. Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative aimed at preventing the online exploitation and abuse of children, was announced by Attorney General Gonzales in May. All information submitted by Lab users will be compiled and analyzed by NCMEC. The information will then be distributed to the appropriate law-enforcement agency for investigation. About the National Center For Missing & Exploited Children The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 387,800 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 119,800 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 102,200 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24 hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com. Contact: NCMEC Communications Department 703-837-6111 http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2767

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