Crime & Safety
'Operation Broken Heart' Nets 87 Wisconsin Child Predator Suspects
U.S. law enforcement agencies participating in the operation resulted in making 1,368 arrests of suspected child predators.
A Wisconsin Internet Crimes Against Children task force made 87 arrests of suspected child predators during "Operation Broken Heart," which took place in April and May.
Dozens of Wisconsin law enforcement agencies who are members of Wisconsin’s ICAC Task Force participated in Operation Broken Heart.
Nationally, the operation resulted in 1,368 arrests and the task forces conducted about 2,300 presentations, according to a news release issued by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
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“Children in Wisconsin and all across the U.S. are safer because of Operation Broken Heart’s success,” said Attorney General Brad Schimel.
The national crackdown targeted offenders who: (1) possess, manufacture, and distribute child pornography; (2) engage in online enticement of children for sexual purposes; (3) engage in the commercial sexual exploitation of children (commonly referred to as child prostitution), and (4) engage in child sex tourism (traveling abroad for the purpose of sexually abusing foreign children).
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The Operation included more than 3,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies across the United States.
As part of Operation Broken Heart, the Wisconsin ICAC Task Force engaged in Operation New Hope, a one-week enforcement effort that included participation from over 40 Wisconsin agencies. Those agencies are:
- Antigo Police Department
- Appleton Police Department
- Barron County Sheriff’s Offices
- Barron Police Department
- Chetek Police Department
- Delafield Police Department
- Dodge County Sheriff’s Offices
- Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office
- Eau Claire Police Department
- Fitchburg Police Department
- Grand Chute Police Department
- Greenfield Police Department
- Hartland Police Department
- Homeland Security
- Juneau County Sheriff’s Office
- La Crosse County Sheriff’s Offices
- Lake Delton Police Department
- Langlade County Sheriff’s Offices
- Madison Police Department
- Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Offices
- Marathon County Sheriff’s Offices
- Marshfield Police Department
- Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office
- Milwaukee Police Department
- Minocqua Police Department
- Monona Police Department
- Oconto Falls Police Department
- Oneida County Sheriff’s Offices
- Oshkosh Police Department
- Outagamie County Sheriff's Office
- Pewaukee Police Department
- Randolph Police Department
- Rusk County Sheriff’s Offices
- Shorewood Hills Police Department
- St. Croix County Sheriff’s Offices
- U.S. Coast Guard
- U.S. Marshals Service
- U.S. Postal Service
- Waukesha County Sheriff’s Offices
- Waukesha Police Department
- Wausau Police Department
- West Milwaukee Police Department
- Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- Wisconsin State Patrol
- Wonewoc Police Department
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