The News Room [News Archive]
Evans
builds new Internet Crime Unit ---
Team will track down sexual predators, identity thieves and
software pirates
Less
than one week into his administration, Wayne County Sheriff
Warren Evans announced today the creation of a new Internet
Crimes Unit to track down, among others, sexual predators who
are expecting to prey on children through Internet chat rooms.
To lead this
new team, Evans has recruited the same officers who created the
first county Internet Crime Unit in Michigan, which received
national attention for its groundbreaking work. That unit, however,
was disbanded late last year by the previous Sheriff’s
administration.
"Internet
crime, specifically in the area of sexual predators, is growing
at an alarming rate every day. Our children are at risk and we
need to use every tool we can to protect them," Evans said.
"It is important that parents, and potential online predators,
know
that someone is watching."
Evans said
the unit will consist of several officers, who will go online
and pose as children in Internet Chat Rooms. Once a potential
predator contacts them, the officers will establish a relationship
that may eventually lead to a request for a sexual encounter.
If a meeting is arranged, an arrest will be made at the time
of the meeting.
Unit's
Role Expanded
Although its primary focus will be on sexual predators, Evans
said the unit’s
scope will be expanded beyond what it was previously.
"Other
types of criminals we will target are identity thieves and computer
software pirates," Evans said. "Senior Citizens,
especially, are vulnerable to being tricked into providing vital
personal information that can lead to disastrous consequences."
In fact, estimates
by consumer advocates suggest that as many as 750,000 identities
are stolen each year. An increasing number of those identities
are stolen over the Internet, Evans said.
Evans said
the unit will begin operating immediately and hopes it will be
able to make its first arrest in the coming weeks.
Anyone wishing
to report criminal activity in any of these areas can call Wayne
County’s Internet Crime Unit at 313-224-0700 anytime.
For more information
on how to avoid identity theft and Internet predators, view the Identity
Theft and Internet Predators fact
sheets.
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