Funding enhances eorts to curb crimes against children From the cover
The conditions
The overview
Internet Crimes Against Children intersects with human tra cking because most tra cking involves use of the internet for solicitation or communication, Acosta said. While victims of human tra cking can be any age, according to the National Human Tra cking Hotline, close to 40% of tra cking cases involved minors in 2023, the most recent information available. However, many cases are unreported, said Dawn Candy, the executive director of Hands of Justice, a Montgomery County-based nonpro t that provides support to tra cking survivors. The local numbers reect national trends sur- rounding enforcement for crimes against children. A 2023 report to Congress by the U.S. Department of Justice noted that from 2019-21, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline saw the number of tips for child sex tra cking increase dramatically.
boundaries, underscoring the necessity of comprehensive law enforcement eorts.” The internet crime and human tra cking division has operated under one banner since 2023, and its three detectives follow up on cyber tips to build cases, execute search warrants, seize electronic devices and carry out operations to nd oenders, Acosta said. Oenders can be located anywhere if their victims or evidence of their crimes is uncovered on computers in Precinct 3. “If we establish the probable cause that a crime has been committed—wherever our oenders are; if they are sharing into The Woodlands or soliciting children in the [Houston] area,” Acosta said. “If we build a case on them, we’re going to nd them.”
The Woodlands Township allocated an additional $445,376 in the 2024 scal year budget to fund two more Internet Crimes Against Children/Human Tra cking o cers and another Safe Harbor detective. The FY 2025 budget initially proposed another $391,404 in new funding. The adopted budget for the 2025 budget, however, was ultimately approved at $851,701, maintaining 2024 levels of service, township President and CEO Monique Sharp said. “Children are the heart of our community, and safeguarding their well-being is a responsibility we all share,” said Ann Snyder, chair of The Woodland Township board of directors. “Crimes against children cross all socioeconomic levels and geographic
Internet Crimes Against Children/ Human Tracking cases in 202324
Township law enforcement funding for Precinct 3 Constable’s Oce
2023
2024
Year-over-year budget growth Personnel
12 25 Operations conducted Felony charges led 34
Funding*
National reports to CyberTipline Child sex tracking
2023
$368,113
3
0%
11,798
2019
113
Search warrants 24
16,032
2021
2024
$813,489
6
+121%
114
Online enticement of children for sexual acts
Cases assigned
54
19,174
2019
2025
$851,701
6
+4.7%
96
44,155
2021
0 25 50 75 100 125 150
*FUNDING PROVIDED BY THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP
SOURCES: THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP, MONTGOMERY COUNTY PRECINCT 3 CONSTABLE’S OFFICE§COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE COMMUNITY IMPACT
Local resources for tracking survivors Children’s Safe Harbor • Health and advocacy • www.childrenssafeharbor.org Child Advocates of Montgomery County • Advocates for abused children • www.casaspeaks4kids.com Hands of Justice • Resources for human traficking survivors • www.handsojustice.org Redeemed Ministries • Care for human traficking survivors • www.redeemedtx.org Shield Bearer • Counseling and trauma recovery • www.shieldbearer.org
What parents should know
which work with survivors. “Poverty, drug addiction, … runaways, kids who are running away from home [and] kids who are in the foster system are highly vulnerable because they’re dealing with a lot of identity issues,” said Bobbie Mark, executive director for Redeemed Ministries, which oers services to survivors of sex tra cking and runs a safe house in the North Houston area. Candy said trauma experienced during child- hood has repercussions into adulthood. “One of the myths ... is that once [survivors] are rescued, that life goes back to normal ... and unfortunately that is not true,” she said.
While enforcement eorts are increasing, so are the needs of children and adult survivors of childhood abuse and exploitation. In August, Montgomery County nonpro t Children’s Safe Harbor, which partners with law enforcement to provide support for child survi- vors, broke ground on a new $10 million facility in Conroe. The facility will house law enforcement and provide space for children taking part in investigations, said Victoria Constance, executive director of Children’s Safe Harbor. Socioeconomic background, a history of abuse and other issues can make a child vulnerable to tra cking, according to several area nonpro ts
SOURCES: VARIOUS NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS COMMUNITY IMPACT
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