Texas’ greatest resource is its children. From toddlers to teenagers, young Texans are truly the future of our great state. As concerned citizens, we must do everything in our power to protect children from sexual predators. That’s why local, state and federal law enforcement agencies across Texas work together to arrest and prosecute criminals who exploit children.
Since 2003, the Office of the Attorney General’s Cyber Crimes Unit has aggressively cracked down on sexual predators that use the Internet to sexually exploit children. Cyber Crimes Unit investigators work undercover, posing as underage teenagers in Internet chat rooms and social networking Web sites. These highly skilled officers have one goal: to catch would-be sexual predators before they harm a child.
The Cyber Crimes Unit also has arrested 126 offenders for posting or trading online child pornography. Thanks to coordination with local law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, our investigators continue to focus on capturing and convicting the worst of the worst cyber criminals.
In one of our most disturbing cases, the Cyber Crimes Unit found more than 57,000 images and 1,000 videos during a forensic examination of a former elementary school teacher’s computers and external media devices. The former teacher, Stephen Sudduth, of Sealy, was indicted in October on 30 counts of child pornography possession and 10 counts of child pornography promotion.
An elementary school educator possessing thousands of sexually explicit images and video of children frightens parents around the state. All child pornography cases involve horrendous crimes that occur not just in large cities, but in communities all across Texas.
Recognizing this alarming trend, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) recently awarded a $469,000 grant to the Longview Police Department. The grant will enhance the police department’s child pornography investigative capacity and fund its new Internet predator crackdown initiatives. Our Cyber Crimes Unit stands ready to help the Longview Police Department stop the next generation of cyber criminals.
As law enforcement authorities continue to locate, arrest and prosecute child sexual predators, parents and guardians must help us keep their children safe.
The most important safety tip is simple: Parents must be involved with their child’s online activities. Parents should educate themselves about cyber safety and speak openly with family members about the Internet and its dangers. Children and teens are more likely to come to an adult that they feel is calm and comfortable discussing the subject matter. Parents can contact the Office of the Attorney General for a copy of our Cyber Safety Brochure, which offers valuable information on chat room “lingo” and provides online security tips for both children and adults.
Child pornographers, including the former teacher the Cyber Crimes Unit arrested, are electronic sexual predators. To reduce the risk of a child finding child pornography online, parents should keep the computer in a common room and limit the use of Web cameras. Digital images are easily captured online and are difficult, if not impossible, to retrieve once they are circulated on the Internet.
We must speak openly with our children about making good decisions in life, including safely using the Internet. By working together, the law enforcement community can foster a safe, bright and happy future for young Texans.
