MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) is hosting its annual Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Conference on Missing and Exploited Children this week, providing a nationwide training that expands the efforts, knowledge-base and skills of law enforcement investigators who are combating online sexual exploitation of children.
The conference comes as DOJ and affiliate Wisconsin law enforcement agencies that make up the ICAC Task Force work diligently to process CyberTips indicating potential child sexual abuse.
“Wisconsin’s ICAC Task Force works to protect kids and hold online predators accountable,” said AG Kaul. “This conference supports that important work by bringing people together to share information about combating internet crimes against children and supporting survivors.”
The conference, held May 6-8 in Appleton, is attended by more than 300 professionals from Wisconsin and 11 other states, including law enforcement, criminal justice agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Their participation reflects Wisconsin’s leadership in strengthening the response to online child exploitation.
The conference offers sessions that highlight critical topics for multidisciplinary teams, advanced investigative techniques, digital forensics, victim services, investigating missing children, Child Abduction Response Team (CART) formation, mental wellness, and open-source intelligence methods.
The Wisconsin ICAC Task Force is a part of a nationwide network of 61 task forces and is led by DOJ’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). The task force includes over 300 affiliate agencies across the state, including law enforcement, criminal justice agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and works to investigate and prosecute crimes against children that involve the internet, social media, and digital devices.
DOJ receives and processes all CyberTipline reports before referring them to trained affiliate investigators, who serve as the backbone of the task force. DOJ handles all Wisconsin CyberTips.
Affiliates handle casework, attend specialized ICAC training and conduct community outreach on online safety. DCI also provides investigative support, digital forensics, administrative subpoena services and law enforcement training, including events such as this week’s conference.
The Wisconsin ICAC Task Force also includes seven Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) canines who help locate hidden digital devices during searches and may provide comfort to victims during interviews and court proceedings.
Report suspected online child exploitation at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com.
For more information about the ICAC task force, visit: https://www.wisdoj.gov/Pages/PublicSafety/internet-crimes-against-children.aspx
