Dear Madam Speaker and Representative McCarthy,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to respectfully urge all Members of the House to suspend the rules and pass S. 4834, the “Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats (PROTECT) Our Children Act.”
Trafficking in child pornography generates billions of dollars every year for criminals—profits made possible by those who consume these illegal images and videos. This bill would reauthorize the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force program for two years. This national network of coordinated task forces representing over 2,000 Federal, State, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies are dedicated to combating child pornography by investigating crimes, conducting forensic analysis, and technical assistance and training. In FYI 2021, these ICAC task force investigations resulted in the arrest of more than 10,000 individuals.
Reauthorizing this program will enable these investigations and prosecutions to move forward and will have a significant impact on our efforts to combat trafficking in child pornography.
On behalf of the more than 364,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I urge the Members of the House to help us protect every child in our country by voting to suspend the rules and pass this legislation. If I can be of any further assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in our Washington office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President