GBI: Arrests Increasing in Child Exploitation Cases

DECATUR, GA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says child exploitation arrests have risen over the past three years thanks to partnership with other law enforcement affiliates.

According to figures released Wednesday by the GBI, headquartered in Decatur, 275 people have been arrested in 2016 on child exploitation charges. That compares to 201 people in 2015, and 189 in 2014.

“These increased arrests illustrate the importance of the Task Force working together and show that individuals attempting to exploit children will not be tolerated,” said Debbie Garner, special agent in charge of the GBI's Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit.

The U.S. Justice Department also has created the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, which is managed and operated by the GBI. The task force is made up of more than 200 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

The Georgia ICAC Task Force received almost 3,000 tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2015 and worked 3,872 investigations related to child exploitation.