Marion County law enforcement teams up with Kimberly’s Center to launch local Internet Crimes Against Children task force

OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Local officials say the number of Internet crimes against Marion County children and teens is “skyrocketing.” That’s why the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and Ocala Police Department (OPD) have partnered with local nonprofit Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection to support Marion County’s division of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force.

ICAC operates 61 task forces across the country focused on catching online predators and distributors of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Ocala and Marion County are part of the North Florida division, but Kimberly’s Center’s partnership with MCSO and OPD is exclusive to Marion County. Kimberly’s Center hopes to begin expanding the program with education and training opportunities for law enforcement, parents, educators and youth.

And that awareness is much needed. According to a statement from Kimberly’s Center citing the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, there were 32 million CyberTips related to child exploitation in 2022, as well as a reported 1,000% increase in online sexual predation on the national level since 2015. In 2019, 43% of children depicted in CSAM were prepubescent.

According to local law enforcement, these national statistics are also reflected in Marion County.

“The internet crimes our ICAC detectives address in our community are deeply concerning,” said OPD’s Chief Michael Balken. “This collaboration between Kimberly’s Center, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ocala Police Department is an essential step in protecting our kids and teens in the digital age. We wholeheartedly support this partnership as education and awareness are vital tools against internet crimes targeting our youth.”

Through this partnership, Kimberly’s Center plans to provide training and support for law enforcement, Department of Children and Families (DCF) workers and caregivers. It also hopes to support trauma counseling and safety planning programs for child victims of online predators. It will also host community awareness activities and work toward improving the technology used by MCSO and OPD to investigate sexual abuse cases.

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Kimberly’s Center will be collecting donations for all of these goals during the upcoming annual Give4Marion countywide donation drive. All donations to Kimberly’s Center will go toward supporting its partnership with MCSO, OPD and their collaboration as part of ICAC.

The donation window opens Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. and lasts through Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. During this time, anyone can donate here. Contact Kimberly’s Center at 352-873-4739 with any questions.