Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force

In July of 2007 the Billings Police Department, with the cooperation and assistance of the US Attorney’s Office, responded to a grant solicitation which brought Federal funds into Montana for the purpose of establishing an ICAC Task Force. In November of 2007 the Billings Police Department learned that it would receive funding for a task force. The Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force [MTICAC] was formed in December of 2007. Initially, four sites were selected for funding, the Billings Police Department, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, Helena Police and the Division of Criminal Investigations [DCI]. Each of these agencies receives funding for areas including training, equipment and overtime for MTICAC related investigations. The MTICACTF continues to grow within the State of Montana by signing on an additional eight law enforcement agencies throughout Montana, by becoming an affiliate of the MTICACTF each agency becomes eligible to receive ICAC related training courses, investigative equipment, other funding assistance, and becoming part of a nationwide network of Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Becoming a member of the MTICACTF does not require that your agency loose a valuable investigator. Rather, it means that your agency is willing to participate with other Montana Task Force personnel in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for exploiting children using computers and the Internet. Your agency also receives the training necessary to educate your community on the safe use of the Internet.

I am happy to answer any questions you may have about becoming an active member of the MTICACTF. Please check out our web site at: www.mticac.org as well as the national ICAC web site at: www.icactraining.org for additional information, or contact Tim West at: 406.896.3295 or westt@ci.billings.mt.us. The Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force [MTICAC] Program is overseen by Tim West. Tim is a retired Police Detective with the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Police Department. In 1998 Tim was asked to be part of the Steering Committee for the newly developed Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force initiative. Tim became the lead investigator and assisted in the administrative operations of the Northern New England ICAC Task Force which covered the States of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.

After retiring Tim remained active in the ICAC Task Forces as a consultant with the Fox Valley Technical College which provides training nationwide to all of the ICAC Task Forces. In December 2007 Tim became the Program Coordinator of the MTICAC Task Force.

The Internet Crimes Against Children [ICAC] Task Force Program began in 1998 as a Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention [OJJDP] program to assist state and local law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of child exploitation cases involving the use of computers. Since 1998 the ICAC Program has grown to include Federal funding to establish a task force in all 50 states.

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