Authorities arrested 141 people across Southern California with alleged ties to online child sex abuse following a weeklong sting operation that spanned five counties, officials said Wednesday.
The operation, dubbed “Protect the Innocent,” was spearheaded by the Los Angeles Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force of the Los Angeles Police Department and took place on Sept. 6-12, according to a news release from the LAPD. The operation included arrests in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties.
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The arrests followed an increase in online child sexual abuse reports, which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When we first started in 2004, we started LAPD’s ICAC because we received 458 tips that year,” Capt. Jeff Bratcher told the Los Angeles Times. “In 2019 that number rose to 8,500. In 2020, 2021, both years, were over 24,000. This year so far, we’re over 25,000, so we should end the year with over 36,000 cybertips. And each one of these tips was one more potential child victim.”
Law enforcement officials followed tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Crimestoppers.com, and they conducted compliance checks on those required to register as a sex offender who had a history of crime on the internet.
Among those detained, 110 were arrested on suspicion of possessing, distributing, or manufacturing child sexual abuse material, according to the news release. Eighteen people were arrested on charges of parole or probation violations, six were arrested on charges of sexual abuse of a minor, two of statutory rape, and two of pimping. Three people were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct.
“Multiple residential search warrants were served throughout the five counties, in addition to arrest warrants, which focused on child predators,” authorities said in the release.
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Law enforcement urged parents to help monitor what their children do online.
“Parents are used to seeing children with an electronic device in their hands,” LAPD said in the release. “Most of the time this enriches our children’s lives and helps with their education; however, parents and caregivers have to know that there can be danger awaiting their children on the internet.”
