The Columbus Dispatch
An expert crime unit being set up by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has the potential to save a lot of children from enduring horrible abuse.
Sex predators who target children are wily, often abusing many children before they are ever suspected or caught. By putting the full weight of his office behind efforts to catch these criminals, DeWine increases public awareness -- adding eyes and ears to protect children -- and brings to bear important resources needed to find and jail molesters.
The initiative establishes a “Crimes Against Children” unit at the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Its 15 investigators will troll the Internet, scouring sites for child pornography and posing as minors in chat rooms.
And it plans to help local law enforcement, offering expertise to help analyze computers and cellphones, aid victims, prosecute cases and conduct investigations that nab predators.
As for the more than 100 Ohio sex offenders who have outstanding warrants because they failed to report their whereabouts, DeWine wants to make sure they know they are missed: His office will publicize their photos.
“This is just the beginning,” DeWine said. “We’re dead serious about this.”
The office already serves as a resource for police and prosecutors, but DeWine is expanding those services with dedicated teams.
The father of eight and grandfather of 17 has been working on this initiative for two months, before the scandal erupted over alleged child sex abuse by former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
But DeWine noted that the sickening allegations that have put Penn State in the spotlight also put the problem into the spotlight.
At least 40 percent of those arrested for possession of child pornography also have sexually abused a child, he said. Catching creeps before they graduate to acting on their fantasies, or identifying them so that their young victims can be found and helped, is smart law enforcement.
Copyright 2011 The Columbus Dispatch