The Innocent Images National Initiative, a part of the FBI's Cyber Crimes Program, is an intelligence driven, proactive, multi-agency investigative initiative to combat the proliferation of child pornography and child sexual exploitation facilitated by an online computer. The IINI provides centralized coordination and analysis of case information that by its very nature is national and international in scope, requiring unprecedented coordination with state, local, and international governments, and among FBI field offices across the country.

Today computer telecommunications have become one of the most prevalent techniques used by pedophiles to share illegal photographic images of minors and to lure children into illicit sexual relationships. The Internet has dramatically increased the access of the preferential sex offenders to the population they seek to victimize and provides them greater access to a community of people who validate their sexual preferences.

The mission of the IINI is to identify, investigate, and prosecute sexual predators who use the Internet and other online services to sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue witting and unwitting child victims. A major operation is the establishment of a law enforcement presence on the internet as a deterrent to subjects that exploit children.

THE INNOCENT IMAGES NATIONAL INITIATIVE

While investigating the disappearance of a juvenile, FBI Special Agents and Prince George’s County, Maryland Police detectives identified two suspects who had sexually exploited numerous juveniles over a 25-year period. Investigation into these activities determined that adults were routinely utilizing computers to transmit sexually explicit images to minors, and in some instances they lured minors into engaging in illicit sexual activity. Further investigation and discussions with experts, both within the FBI and in the private sector, revealed that the utilization of computer telecommunications was rapidly becoming one of the most prevalent techniques by which some sex offenders shared pornographic images of minors and identified and recruited children into sexually illicit relationships. In 1995, based on information developed during this investigation, the Innocent Images National Initiative was started to address the illicit activities conducted by users of commercial and private online services and the Internet.

The central operation and case management system for all FBI online CP/CSE investigations is located at the Maryland Metropolitan Office at Calverton, Baltimore Division. The Innocent Images field supervisor and investigative personnel work closely with the Innocent Images National Initiative manager at FBI Headquarters in investigative, administrative and policy matters involving the initiative. All FBI field offices forward copies of text and images obtained in all online CP/CSE investigations to the Innocent Images National Initiative for incorporation into the Innocent Images case management system. The Innocent Images initiative provides for a coordinated FBI response to a nationwide problem by collating and analyzing information and images obtained from numerous sources and avoids duplication of effort by all FBI field offices.

Today the FBI’s Innocent Images National Initiative focuses on individuals who indicate a willingness to travel interstate for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with a minor.
The FBI also focuses on internet organizations, enterprises, and communities that exploit children, as well as producers of child pornography.

FBI agents routinely search out major distributors of child pornography, such as those who appear to have transmitted a large volume of child pornography via an online computer on several occasions to several other people.

The FBI and the Department of Justice review all files and select the most egregious subjects for prosecution. In addition, the IINI works to identify child victims and obtain appropriate services and assistance for them and to establish a law enforcement presence on the Internet that will act as a deterrent to those who seek to sexually exploit children.

THE GROWTH OF THE FBI PROGRAM

Over the last several years, the FBI, local and state law enforcement, and the public has developed an increased awareness of the CP/CSE crime problem and more incidents of online CP/CSE are being identified for investigation than ever before. In fact, online CP/CSE is one of the most significant cyber crime problems confronting the FBI. Between fiscal years 1996 and 2002, there was a 1997% increase in the number of IINI cases opened (113 to 2370) throughout the FBI. It is anticipated that the number of cases opened and the resources utilized to address the crime problem will continue to rise.

The increase in Innocent Images investigations demonstrated the need for a mechanism to track subject transactions and to correlate the seemingly unrelated activities of thousands of subjects in a cyberspace environment. As a result, the Innocent Images case management system was developed and has proven to be an effective system to archive and retrieve the information necessary to identify and target priority subjects. All relevant data obtained during an undercover session is loaded into the Innocent Images case management system where it is updated, reviewed, and analyzed on a daily basis to identify priority subjects.

Sources: Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Association of Chiefs of Police

---
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.   He writes for many police and crime magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer, Campus Law Enforcement Journal, and others.   He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc.  His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores.