Authorities have announced that a total of 139 individuals were arrested during a multi-agency operation called “Operation Online Guardian.” This operation targeted internet crimes against children and was carried out by the Los Angeles Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which comprises personnel from 102 agencies across five counties in California.
During a news conference held at the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters, Joseph T. McNally, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, emphasized the severity of child exploitation crimes and the vulnerability of their victims. He stated, “Through these crimes, predators target those who can’t protect themselves.”
Chief Michel Moore of the LAPD, who led the operation, was also present at the news conference along with numerous other law enforcement officials. The operation involved police departments from various cities, including Glendale, Long Beach, Laguna Beach, Burbank, Redondo Beach, Montclair, and San Bernardino, as well as representatives from sheriff’s departments in Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties and officials from Homeland Security Investigations.
The LAPD serves as the primary clearing house for CyberTips received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. These CyberTips are reports from internet service providers and citizens that involve incidents related to child sexual abuse material and the online exploitation of children.
Operation Online Guardian was conducted over a span of eleven days, from July 10 to 21. The primary objectives of the operation were to identify and apprehend predators who use the internet to facilitate the sexual abuse of children and to rescue children from these predators.
The operation consisted of two phases. The first phase involved proactive undercover investigations on various social media platforms, while the second phase included the execution of multiple residential search warrants and arrest warrants targeting child predators across the five counties.
During the operation, the authorities arrested 139 suspects on charges that included sodomy of a child under 10 years of age, continuous sexual abuse of a child, lewd acts with a child, meeting a minor for lewd purposes/sex, contact/attempted contact with a minor for sex, sending obscene matter to a child for sex, penetration with a foreign object by force or fear, sodomy, possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material, child annoyance, failure to register as a convicted sex offender, and violation of conditions of parole and probation.
The LAPD commended its investigators for their dedication, compassion, and unwavering commitment to protecting the innocent. They were successful in rescuing vulnerable children from further abuse and empowering victims of child sexual abuse to reclaim their voices.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Program, developed by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, aims to assist law enforcement agencies in investigating internet-related crimes against youth. The ICAC Task Force Program consists of 61 coordinated task forces and over 5,400 federal, state, and local law enforcement members.
Despite the conclusion of Operation Online Guardian, the LAPD ICAC Task Force will continue its mission to protect children from sexual exploitation, as there are still unnoticed victims. The community is urged to support this fight against child sexual abuse by visiting www.Missingkids.org/NetSmartz for internet safety tips and activities. Additionally, potential child sexual abuse activity can be reported and harmful content can be removed using the “Take it Down” service hosted on www.takeitdown.ncmec.org.
The LAPD emphasized the importance of reporting any potential child sexual abuse activity, as it gives victims a voice when they are often silenced. They concluded by stating, “If you see something, say something.”
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