HSI Cartagena coordinates training designed to curb child sex crimes

CARTAGENA, Colombia — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) coordinated training this week in Cartagena surrounding a new initiative that will help protect children from sex crimes.

The new initiative from HSI Cartagena enhances the ability of local law enforcement to target child pornography and child sex tourism in Colombia. The training, which took place Jan. 15 to 17, was held for Colombia's Technical Investigative Unit (CTI), Fiscalia (prosecutors), Migracion and the Judicial Police (SIJIN), and involved using a software system that data mines open source Internet content in order to identify IP addresses that are sharing and exchanging child pornography.

The software, called the Child Protection System, was originally developed by The Last One Corporation (TLO), which has now become a non-profit organization, for use by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task forces. Law Enforcement Systems of TLO conducted the training and Operation Underground Railroad, the Child Rescue Association of North America and Breaking Chains, provided additional presentations and lessons learned on how best to handle and investigate child pornography and child sex tourism.

Through ICE's Office of International Affairs and the State Department, HSI has 67 attaché offices in 48 countries around the world. This presence includes an on-the-ground relationship-building effort of HSI special agents working closely with foreign law enforcement agencies, and through a robust network of specialized vetted units known as Transnational Criminal Investigative Units. Additionally, HSI brings personnel from host countries to the United States to train at the Department of Homeland Security Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at Glynco, Ga.