By:Laura Lane
Over 100 potential pedophiles are currently being tracked by The Internet Crimes Against Children, (ICAC), a squad within the Child Abuse Unit of the Long Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
The division, spearheaded by peace officer Jeff Mackston in 1998, has a staff of 12 that boasts a 100 percent conviction rate.
As helpful as the ICAC has been, however, it is facing serious financial difficulties and desperately seeking donations.
"The money to run the unit comes from members and any money we can get together ourselves," Mackston said. "We need more equipment, more personnel. Now that the crimes are increasing in volume, we don't have enough people to handle it. I would love to hire more investigators, but we have to pay them."
The Child Abuse Unit of the Long Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a state chartered, non-profit law enforcement agency.
Although it interacts with federal, state and local law enforcement, and is mandated to operate under social service law and the Family Court Act, the unit works under a very tight budget.
Recently, the unit held its first fund-raiser, a celebrity golf classic at Bethpage State Park.
Nearly 230 people turned out, including former New York Islander Pat La Fontaine and Villanova University's head basketball coach Jay Wright.
People paid $400 to play golf, while non-golfers paid $100 to later enjoy a lobster clambake at the Carlyle on The Green restaurant.
Valentina Janek, an administrative operations manager for CMP Media, volunteered her time to help organize the event.
"We want people to know this stuff (pedophiles on the Internet) exists," Janek said. "We need people to think of this as an amber alert system. This happens everyday to children. We need fund-raisers, grants, people that want to be part of this noble cause."
Mackston decided to start the unit five years ago in part due to a personal experience.
"Years ago when my daughter was small when I went to say goodnight to her, she was crying," Mackston said. "When I asked her why, she said a guy on the computer had scared her. She had gone into a geography chat room for school, and said he had said things to her. I got frustrated that I couldn't do anything about it. Now I can."
Mackston said the Internet, which offers so many new opportunities for children to research homework, communicate with international pen pals, and construct personal Web sites, has become a breeding ground for pedophiles.
They no longer need to hide near schools or playgrounds, but can enter the potential victims' homes by chatting with them online. He said that although the largest portion of suspects continue to be males, the profile has changed. The anonymity of the Internet allows them to cultivate any desired identity, such as that of a doctor or racecar driver.
"Most of the pedophiles go on AOL," Mackston said. "Even if parents put filters on the computers, the kids are smart and know how to get around them. Most children demonstrate computer proficiency that far surpasses their parents. Many parents know only what their kids have taught them about the Internet."
The ICAC assists the community in not only fighting pedophiles but helps it ensure inappropriate materials freely sent online won't reach unsuspecting children.
"Our Web site, www.childabuseunit.com, is available to educate parents and even to help them purchase protective software items to install in their computers," Mackston said. "We make sure that each year we review what is being offered and offer the best software available."
When Mackston began the unit, he brought in computer technicians from across the country to train the peace officers. Familiar with the online lingo and the sites where pedophiles frequent, they taught the officers how to talk like a child and how to enter the groups where pedophiles frequently lurk.
Staff at the ICAC undergo a rigorous process before becoming a part of the operation. In order to join the group, an applicant must first undergo a background check.
They then spend a year in the unit without being a peace officer and work with the lead investigator. Then they enter a peace officer training course for 15 to 16 months.
The ICAC is not only restricted to Long Island. Its jurisdiction is worldwide. As long as the unit can get the pedophile to enter New York State, the peace officers can arrest them.
"These people are very sick and will travel long distances to meet up with who they think is the child they have been chatting with," Mackston said. "We caught one guy from New Jersey who wanted to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl at Macy's in Roosevelt Field."
Strapped for cash, the unit is planning a 50s cocktail party fund-raiser for the Thanksgiving weekend. Janek said there are also plans to go to schools to educate parents and children on Internet pedophiles.
"It's about getting educated so kids don't get into trouble," Janek said. "Never doubt what a small group of thoughtful people can do."
Donations, which are tax deductible, can be sent to: LISPCC, 3468 Lawson Blvd. Oceanside, New York 11572, Att: Computer Crimes Division.
