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U.S. Attorney Recognizes Law Enforcement Officers, Announces Federal Grant to Fight Child Pornography in Longview, Texas

U.S. Attorney’s Office November 12, 2009
  • Eastern District of Texas (409) 839-2538

LONGVIEW, TX—U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced today that the City of Longview, Texas Police Department has been named a grant recipient for the Child Sexual Predator Program under the Department of Justice's COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) Program. The CSPP partners include the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas, the Texas Attorney General's Office, the City of Longview, the Longview Police Department's Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Postal Inspection Service.

This program is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The grant, in the amount of $469,342, will allow the City of Longview to hire an Investigator and a Computer Forensics Examiner to assist in the prosecution of technology-based sexual exploitation crimes against children, as well as provide for essential computer hardware, software and training. In addition, the U.S. Attorney's Office has already dedicated two full-time prosecutors to the program, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Griffith, based in Plano, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Tortorice, based in Tyler. The team will also include five state prosecutors with the Texas Attorney General's Office, who will be based in Austin.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said, “Communities that are receiving these grants have made a commitment to a collaborative partnership that will ultimately make a world of difference in stopping child victimization."

“Not only will the community of Longview be a safer place for children, but the entire State of Texas will benefit from this program for generations to come," said U.S. Attorney Bales. "This grant will allow us to be smarter with our resources and pursue innovation in the investigation, prosecution, and prevention of the sexual exploitation of children."

Over $11.4 million was granted to 26 state and local law enforcement agencies in 19 states. The average amount of each award was about $400,000, with the City of Longview receiving the only award in Texas.

Bales also recognized the outstanding work of two federal agents and a local police officer, Special Agent Todd Hiles, United States Secret Service; Special Agent Dave Goodson, Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Detective Ed Jones, Longview Police Department. Awards were presented in recognition of the successful prosecution of 75 child pornography cases, including those who produced, distributed, and possessed child pornography, by the Tyler office of the U. S. Attorney's Office. Special Agent Hiles has been with the U.S. Secret Service for 13 years and is currently assigned to the Tyler office. Special Agent Goodson has been with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 11 years and is assigned to the Lufkin office. Detective Jones has been with the Longview Police Department for over 30 years and started investigating Internet crimes against children in 2001. These men have spent countless hours investigating child sexual predators in and around deep East Texas. In recognizing their contribution, U.S. Attorney Bales said, "The dedication and persistence of these three officers has greatly enhanced the prosecution, in East Texas, of those who would take advantage of those least able to protect themselves, our children."

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