BOISE, ID – Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced today that he is directing additional resources to the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. In a letter to law enforcement agencies, Labrador says the number of referrals has increased tenfold since the ICAC Unit was created – from 223 referrals in 2013 to 2,304 last year. There is currently a backlog of almost 1,500 referrals which still need to be investigated.
“When the Legislature formed the ICAC Unit in 2013, the Attorney General’s Office staffed the unit with 12.5 individuals. Today, our staff has doubled, including several affiliated investigators house in your offices. In that same timeframe, however, the number of annual referrals has increased tenfold-from 223 in 2013 to 2,304 referrals in 2022,” Labrador says in the letter. “Simply put, my office does not have the manpower to investigate all these referrals.”
“Idaho is facing an abhorrent attack on our children. As the internet has become more pervasive, predators have found a new and easier way to target our kids, and we are doing everything we can to stop this from happening in Idaho. Despite our office’s best efforts, we cannot do this alone, and we need local law enforcement’s help. I know our men and women in uniform share my dedication to protecting Idaho’s children, and I look forward to us taking coordinated action to stop this threat. From my first week in office, I said we will focus the people’s resources on prosecuting child exploiters and other serious criminals, and I plan to deliver on that promise,’’ Labrador adds.
The ICAC Unit will take on as many cases as it can responsibly handle; the rest will be sent to local law enforcement and county prosecuting attorneys.
For the referrals the ICAC Unit cannot investigate and prosecute, I am directing the ICAC Unit to determine the geographic location of the alleged crime and forward the referral to the appropriate local law enforcement agency for investigation. As always, the ICAC Unit will remain available to assist local law enforcement agencies and county prosecutors as they take the lead on these referred investigations. Furthermore, the ICAC Unit will also continue to offer training throughout the State for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and others.
