DOJ launches the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force program

Congress directed the Department of Justice to create a national network of state and local law enforcement cyber units to investigate child sexual exploitation cases. The Justice Appropriations Act of 1998 established the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, starting with 10 regional task forces. The program responded to rapid growth in internet use by children and the corresponding increase in online exploitation and child sexual abuse material.