Homeland Security now to go after child molesters.

[Moonbeam]

Ridge moves to include going after abductors and child porn people with the Homeland Security dept. I would have thought checking trucks and ships at the borders wasn't far enough along yet to take on this job, laudable as it may be. What is going on? It seems nuts.

 

[sandorski]

This slope seems rather slippery.

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

I hate to give the rabid anti-government people any props . . . but sometimes they are the only ones with a clue.

 

[UltraQuiet]

I guess this is what we're talking about.

Mission creep. The first stop on the road to over extending your assets.


Secretary Ridge Announces "Operation Predator"



For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 9, 2003

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Homeland Security today announced Operation Predator, a comprehensive DHS initiative designed to enhance the Administration's efforts to protect children from pornographers, child prostitution rings, Internet predators, alien smugglers, human traffickers, and other criminals. The President has made it clear that anyone who harms a child will be a priority target of law enforcement in this Administration.

"Operation Predator integrates the Department's authorities to target those who exploit children," said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. "The Department of Homeland Security is coordinating the Department's once-fragmented investigative and intelligence resources into a united campaign against child predators."

The Department's Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will house the initiative from its headquarters in Washington, D.C., coordinating all field enforcement actions from the ICE CyberSmuggling Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Operation Predator draws on the full spectrum of cyber, intelligence, investigative, and detention & removal functions of ICE to target those who exploit children.

"There is nothing more important than protecting our children - the future of our nation. Through Operation Predator, ICE is in a unique position to carry out this critical responsibility," said Michael J. Garcia, Acting Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

ICE is partnering with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to facilitate the exchange of information on missing children, as well as investigative and intelligence leads. For the first time an ICE Senior Special Agent has been assigned to NCMEC to coordinate leads developed by NCMEC that require ICE law enforcement capabilities. In addition, ICE will work with the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Justice to partner with NCMEC in an effort to develop a National Child Victim Identification Program.

"Combating child victimization in all its forms requires the cooperation and collaboration of law enforcement personnel worldwide," stated NCMEC President Ernie Allen. "Operation Predator strengthens the combined efforts of law enforcement agencies to investigate and apprehend those who prey upon children, while providing the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the public the tools to assist with identifying perpetrators and reporting crimes."

John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted" also commended the new effort: "I thank Secretary Ridge and the Department of Homeland Security for its efforts to increase the protection of America's children. Child Predators are everywhere; and they are cunning. It gives me tremendous hope that the future will be even brighter and safer for kids everywhere thanks in part to Operation Predator."

As part of its three-pronged strategy of identifying, investigating, and removing child predators from our streets, ICE will use a single web portal to access all publicly available Megan's Law websites. In addition, ICE is creating a new multi-agency unit at its CyberSmuggling Center to oversee and coordinate Operation Predator activities at the national level. Already, Operation Predator is yielding dramatic results, including the following:


During a weeklong, nationwide enforcement action ending on June 30, ICE fugitive operations teams apprehended 89 foreign nationals who had been convicted of sex offenses, but had subsequently evaded law enforcement efforts to remove them from the country. In Chicago alone, ICE teams arrested 37 convicted alien sex offenders during this period.
Separately, since March 1, 2003, ongoing ICE investigations into suspected child sex offenders have resulted in 88 arrests, 56 indictments, 77 convictions, and 134 seizures. ICE special agents have also opened 192 new investigations into suspected child sex offenders during this time frame.
The new National Child Victim Identification Program has already positively identified exploited children featured in approximately 300 child pornography images. ICE has provided this information to several law enforcement agencies around the nation for investigative follow-up and judicial action. In one example, the New York State Police sent ICE several child pornography images. Using the new National Child Victim Identification System, ICE agents were able to positively match 5 of the images to actual children. The New York State police used this information to prosecute a child pornography defendant who was claiming that the images were "virtual" or "morphed" images - not actual images of real children. The jury found the defendant guilty based on this evidence proving the images depicted real children. In another example, ICE agents used this system to help North Carolina authorities match 54 child pornography images to actual children. This information was used by state authorities in North Carolina to help bring an indictment.


DHS

 

[jjones]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Ridge moves to include going after abductors and child porn people with the Homeland Security dept. I would have thought checking trucks and ships at the borders wasn't far enough along yet to take on this job, laudable as it may be. What is going on? It seems nuts.

Where did you get this from? I knew Homeland Security would end up being a tiger without a leash but damn, the zookeepers already let it out of its cage? Any links for more info?

Edit: Nevermind, Dave posted it.

 

[jjones]

WTF does Immigration and Customs Enforcement (a chilling name by any means which doesn't bode well for anybody) have to do with kiddie porn? Are they just making things up for this new Department to do in order to justify its existence and ask for bigger budgets? With the moniker Homeland Security, I guess that will eventually entail everything. Big Government run amok has finally funded Big Brother and made him a cabinet member.

 

[tnitsuj]

Jesus Christ. WTF does this have to do with homeland security and dsiaster preparedness? They haven't even begun to scratch the surface of those two missions. I thought this sort of thing was what the FBI and local and state agencies were for.

 

[CaptnKirk]

This makes me think that the Administration believes that there are thousands
of foriegners trying to get into this country just to molest the children.
Most molestors are know family members or close family friends.
Maybe the Pope is sending in a wave of Priests from the Vatican.

 

[halik]

slippery slope,
we might as well end up with operation: disserter or the red-white-n-blue act. Anyone that speaks up will be 'investigated'

Im just curious does partiot act apply to the predator thing - ie can they make those people hold indefinitely?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Using terrorsism to fear-monger must not be working well enough, now they are adding child molesters into the mix. This worries me greatly now that 'homeland security' has its foot in the door of clearly civil matters that are already under the jurisdiction of several other agencies.

 

[Czar]

scary

 

[Tripleshot]

A campaign element of the democratic party for 2004 should include cutting back the powers of this patrot act and reign in ridge. If you have been keeping up, Bush is calling for constitutional change now to elivate the cabinet postion of this office t olike number 4 or 5 in line for the white house. Great for marshall law, I suppose.

 

[Moonbeam]

I can't understand where the real conservatives are. 1964 Republicans would vomit on Bush. We've never needed real conservatives as bad as we do now. Fascism is smiling. 😀

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
I can't understand where the real conservatives are. 1964 Republicans would vomit on Bush. We've never needed real conservatives as bad as we do now. Fascism is smiling. 😀

The republican party has been hijacked by fascist state spenders since Reagan. Who knows? Maybe they like it.

 

[Bleep]

I cant wait for CKG to be in here shortly accusing you who disagree with Ridge as being Bush Haters.

Bleep

 

[DealMonkey]

Totally. Where's CKG? 🙂

Gee, with a name like "Homeland Security" you'd think they be, oh I don't know, protecting the homeland! Who knows? Maybe Ridge will be bustin' down the doors of some P2P file sharers next. I mean they're clearly a danger to our homeland, right?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: Bleep
I cant wait for CKG to be in here shortly accusing you who disagree with Ridge as being Bush Haters.

Bleep

I suspect he's already working on a long, pompous post labeling us as child molester apollogists/sympathizers/lovers or some such other idiotic drivel.

 

[etech]

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian

Originally posted by: Bleep
I cant wait for CKG to be in here shortly accusing you who disagree with Ridge as being Bush Haters.

Bleep

I suspect he's already working on a long, pompous post labeling us as child molester apollogists/sympathizers/lovers or some such other idiotic drivel.

There is no need to make a long post pointing out the idiocy of the people denying that children and their safety should be paramount. It's rather obvious and doesn't need any futher clarification.

 

[DealMonkey]

Originally posted by: etech

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian

Originally posted by: Bleep
I cant wait for CKG to be in here shortly accusing you who disagree with Ridge as being Bush Haters.

Bleep

I suspect he's already working on a long, pompous post labeling us as child molester apollogists/sympathizers/lovers or some such other idiotic drivel.

There is no need to make a long post pointing out the idiocy of the people denying that children and their safety should be paramount. It's rather obvious and doesn't need any futher clarification.

Well, I guess this will do in lieu of the real thing. But I don't know, it feels so cheap and second rate...

 

[Moonbeam]

Originally posted by: etech

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian

Originally posted by: Bleep
I cant wait for CKG to be in here shortly accusing you who disagree with Ridge as being Bush Haters.

Bleep

I suspect he's already working on a long, pompous post labeling us as child molester apollogists/sympathizers/lovers or some such other idiotic drivel.

There is no need to make a long post pointing out the idiocy of the people denying that children and their safety should be paramount. It's rather obvious and doesn't need any futher clarification.

Like this was an issue about the relative importance of children.

See, you worthless bastards are anti-child.

 

[Pennstate]

isn't this fbi's job?

 

[Warin]

Originally posted by: etech

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian

Originally posted by: Bleep
I cant wait for CKG to be in here shortly accusing you who disagree with Ridge as being Bush Haters.

Bleep

I suspect he's already working on a long, pompous post labeling us as child molester apollogists/sympathizers/lovers or some such other idiotic drivel.

There is no need to make a long post pointing out the idiocy of the people denying that children and their safety should be paramount. It's rather obvious and doesn't need any futher clarification.

Lessee....

Stopping Child Porn and keeping molesters out of the country = good

Concentrating this sort of power under one rather shady organisation = bad

I say bolster the law enforcement agencies already dealing with this filth, not try to build a better mouse trap when the one you already have works pretty well. Considering some of the ideas (TIPS anyone? ) that has come out of homeland security, I would be thinking Stasi right about now. And all the sheeple who are terrified of 'Big Bad Osama' are letting the government do it, in the hope that they will be safer.

Those who are willing to give up freedom for safety and security, will receive and deserve neither. Thomas Jefferson

I am not saying that a child pornographer or molester deserves freedom, I am saying that the apparatus is being set up to make this the first step on a short road to tyrrany.

 

[UltraQuiet]

There is no need to make a long post pointing out the idiocy of the people denying that children and their safety should be paramount. It's rather obvious and doesn't need any futher clarification.

😉

You do have to wonder how big a mission this is going to be and why they are taking it on at all. Hundreds of FBI agents working overseas, the CIA doing SOF missions that the .mil should be doing, the .mil doing police work and now this agency doing FBI work. All caused by years of mission creep, inter-agency rivalry, political favortism, etc., etc. Is it any wonder we got the sh!t kicked out of us on 9/11, we can't find OBL, Saddam or so much as an ounce of pepper spray in Iraq.

Somebody needs to get the attention of our federal law enforcement and intel agencies very quickly and remind them and refocus them on the missions they were chartered to do and that they are all on the same fscking team.

We look like the god damn Keystone Cops.

 

[Moonbeam]

We look like the god damn Keystone Cops.
---------------------
I think this the result of doing everything with an eye to the vote instead of what is right.

 

[DealMonkey]

Originally posted by: etech
There is no need to make a long post pointing out the idiocy of the people denying that children and their safety should be paramount. It's rather obvious and doesn't need any futher clarification.

See, there you go missing the point. See, we're all concerned that maybe, just maybe, if the Homeland Security dep't goes off on some wild tangent, perhaps they won't be concentrating on their main priority: protecting the homeland. That is their raison d'être (for french haters: reason for being), is it not?

Besides, nobody here cares about children 😉