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Cybercrimes Unit has conducted 300 child porn investigations

Attorney General Jack Conway celebrates unit’s fourth anniversary

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 12, 2012) — Nearly 300 child pornography investigations have been launched by Attorney General Jack Conway’s Cybercrimes Unit since it was created in June of 2008.

Conway touted the unit’s accomplishments today, celebrating the fourth anniversary of its inception.

More than 322,000 child pornographic images and videos from the Internet have been seized from the Internet by the state Cybercrimes Unit in the past four years. Investigative efforts also have resulted in more than 100 child pornography convictions, including the February 2011 arrest of Dale Chisena Sr., a retired Florida school teacher accused of traveling to Kentucky to have sexual relations with two juveniles. Chisena was sentenced in U.S. District Court last month to 30 years in prison following a sting operation conducted by General Conway’s cybercrimes investigators.

“I am extremely proud of our many accomplishments over the past four years,” Conway said. “Our Cybercrimes Unit has become a national model in the fight against crimes that occur online and we will continue working every day to make the Internet a safer place for Kentucky kids.”

Despite unprecedented budget cuts of more than 30 percent, Conway followed through on his commitment to create a unit dedicated to investigate crimes that occur online. In June of 2008, he streamlined priority operations within his office and launched a unit devoted solely to investigating online crimes. It is now a member of the U.S. Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Conway’s office also opened a digital forensic lab to help law enforcement across the state address the backlog in processing and examining crucial digital evidence involved in 80 percent of today’s crimes. The unit also has trained law enforcement and prosecutors on the latest technologies in fighting cybercrimes and data collection.

Cybercrimes statistics since June of 2008:

– Launched 286 child pornography investigations

– Obtained 103 child pornography convictions

– Executed 148 search warrants

– Seized 322,173 child pornographic images and videos

– Processed 5,775 hard drives and removable devices for a total of 83.78 Terabytes of data

– Trained 1,711 law enforcement offices and prosecutors in data collection and combatting cybercrimes

– One of nine agencies in the country selected by Microsoft to host cybersafety training for investigators

In 2009, the Kentucky General Assembly passed comprehensive cybercrimes legislation (HB 315) drafted by Conway to modernize Kentucky laws related to crimes that occur online and to better protect Kentucky children from the dangers that exist online. The attorney general also has traveled across the state educating parents, students and teachers about the dangers that exist online. Since taking office, he has presented his Internet safety message to more than 52,000 Kentuckians, mostly children.

He also has partnered with the Kentucky Department of Education and ConnectKentucky to create CybersafeKY. Through the partnership, the agencies are able to pool their resources to provide more Internet safety educational opportunities across the state.

For more information, visit http://ag.ky.gov/cybersafety/. To report cyber abuse, visit the CyberTipline or call 1-800-843-5678.