The U.S. Department of Justice will send more than $1.1 million to programs in Washington State that protect children from sexual exploitation, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.
The largest grant, just more than $450,000, will go to the Seattle Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), a Seattle Police based organization that assists with investigations across the region.
“Our ICAC task force in Western Washington is a critical tool in stopping the sexual exploitation of children,” Hayes said in a press release. “These grant dollars will provide cutting edge software and training for detectives and forensic investigators who work every day to identify those using the internet to abuse and sexually molest our children.”
In 2016, ICAC task forces across the country conducted more than 61,000 investigations and about 78,000 forensic exams, which led to more than 9,300 arrests.
In addition to the ICAC funds, three Indian Tribes and Washington State received grants to assist with programs to monitor and track sex offenders under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The grants include:
• $292,711 to the Skokomish Indian Tribe to implement the Sex Offender Notification Act.
• $228,850 to the Nooksack Tribe for officer training on the Sex Offender Notification Act and on responding to incidents involving sex offenses.
• $35,081 to the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe to replace equipment and provide training for those working on sex offender notifications.
• $145,918 to Washington State to enhance sex offender notification programs.
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