McHenry County Blog published this reference to McHenry County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Greg Pyle’s membership on the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force:
This is the first page of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
“In a recent interview with Detective Gregory Pyle of the McHenry County Sheriff’s department, I learned that approximately 1 in 5 children with full internet access were approached by a predator on the internet last year.
“Detective Pyle is a member of the Illinois Chapter of the ICAC, or Internet Crimes against Children Task Force.
“The task force is a subset of The Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Department of Justice. Education is the key according to Detective Pyle. Unfortunately they do not have the budget to educate everyone. This, I believe, is our Calling.”
Pyle is on paid administrative leave.
Read the ten-count warrant and make your own judgment if this was an appropriate role for Deputy Pyle.
I inquired of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office of the status of Pyle’s membership on this task force, considering his arrest on ten counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault.
Lisa Madigan’s Press Secretary Robyn Ziegler sent the following reply:
“It is our understanding that his employer has relieved him of his duties and Mr. Pyle’s involvement in the ICAC task force comes exclusively through his employment with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office – it’s not separate from his job.
“As a result, once the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office took quick action to remove him from work, he is also no longer affiliated in any way with ICAC.
“In addition, the Attorney General’s office has taken immediate action to make sure that any organization that may provide access to information to officers who are involved with ICAC (as part of their duties for their law enforcement employer) has revoked access for Mr. Pyle.”
What is the program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention? Here’s what’s on the D.C. web site:
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC program) helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to cyber enticement and child pornography cases. This help encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, and community education.
The program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and heightened online activity by predators seeking unsupervised contact with potential underage victims. The FY 1998 Justice Appropriations Act (Pub, L. No. 105–119) directed OJJDP to create a national network of state and local law enforcement cyber units to investigate cases of child sexual exploitation. The Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act (“the PROTECT Act”)of 2008, (P.L. 110-401, codified at 42 USC 17601, et seq.), authorized the ICAC program through FY 2013.
The ICAC program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces representing over 2,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. These agencies are engaged in proactive investigations, forensic investigations, and criminal prosecutions. By helping state and local agencies to develop effective, sustainable responses to online child victimization and child pornography, OJJDP has increased their capacity to address Internet crimes against children.
Since the ICAC program’s inception in 1998, more than 338,000 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and other professionals have been trained in the United States and in 17 countries on techniques to investigative and prosecute ICAC related cases.
Since 1998, ICAC Task Forces have reviewed more than 280,000 complaints of alleged child sexual victimization resulting in the arrest of more than almost 30,000 individuals.
In fiscal year (FY) 2011, the ICAC program trained over 31,000 law enforcement personnel, over 2,800 prosecutors, and more than 11,000 other professional working in the ICAC field.
In FY 2011, ICAC investigations led to more than 5,700 arrests and over 45,000 forensic examinations.
In FY 2011 ICAC investigations contributed to the arrests of nearly 5,700 individuals, with nearly 40 percent of those arrests (2,248) resulting in the acceptance of a plea agreement by the defendant in lieu of trial.