Computers are one of the most widely used pieces of technology in the United States today. The Internet is the fastest growing and most pervasive communications medium ever deployed. With that comes an increase in the number of crimes committed by people using computers. In an effort to respond to this emerging threat a multitude of law enforcement agencies in Vermont have taken steps to establish the Vermont Internet Crimes Task Force (ICTF). This collaborative effort involving local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies has grown out of initial efforts in the realm of Internet Crimes Against Children. In late 1999, the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations (CUSI) became the Vermont coordinator for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) for Northern New England. From this grew the VT Internet Crimes Task Force, consisting of investigators and examiners from federal, state, county, and local agencies throughout Vermont.

ICAC History

In October 1998, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) began funding ten (10) initial sites around the country for the operation of Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces. Among the initial sites funded is the Portsmouth, NH Police Department, operating as the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for Northern New England (ICACNNE). This site was created to initially provide service to New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, and was tasked with establishing operations in the areas of investigation, law enforcement training, and public education. Now, ICAC Task Forces operate in almost every state in the country, making them a critical resource in the nation's efforts to keep youth safe online. For more information, be sure to visit the national ICAC Task Force Program Web site.

ICAC Program Goals and Objectives

The overall goal of the project is to establish a working model to investigate Internet crimes against children, utilizing a multi-agency task force model and to coordinate directly with New Hampshire and Maine operations on investigations, law enforcement training, and public education efforts. The objectives for the VT ICAC Task Force operation parallel those established by the primary grantee, the Portsmouth Police/ICAC Task Force for Northern New England. They include public outreach and education, law enforcement training, and case investigation.

Beyond Crimes Against Children

While the protection and safety of youth online remains the most critical goal of our operations, as the Internet has grown, so too has our mission. Today, the VT Internet Crimes Task Force provides technical assistance, investigations, computer forensic analysis, law enforcement training, and public information and outreach initiatives on a wide variety of high technology crime issues statewide.

Among the types of crimes investigated annually are computer intrusion, website defacement, fraud, identity theft, stalking, threats, harassment, drug distribution, and a host of crimes in which computers are an instrumentality of the offense ranging from vandalism to homicide.