Richland Police Help Take Down 13 Suspects in Child Exploitation Operation

Shout to the Richland Police Department on a successful joint task force against child exploitation that resulted in 13 arrests.

Regional Task Force, Including Richland PD, Makes 13 Arrests in Exploitation Case

In a press release from the Richland Police Department, RPD teamed up with the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (SER-ICAC) Task Force.

The joint task force got to work in and they assisted in the recent multi-agency operation that led to 13 arrests of individuals accused of child sexual exploitation in Liberty Lake, Washington.

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The SER-ICAC task force is one of three regional leads for the Washington State ICAC Task Force, dedicated to investigating and preventing the online exploitation of children.

Who's on the team, you ask?

SER-ICAC comprises detectives from the Richland Police Department, Kennewick Police Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and other regional partners, working with Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

13 Arrested in Child Exploitation Operation with Help from Richland Police Department

“Protecting children from exploitation is one of the most important responsibilities we have as a law enforcement agency,” said Richland Police Chief, Martin Pilcher. “These arrests demonstrate the power of collaboration and the dedication of our detectives who work tirelessly to keep our community’s most vulnerable safe. The Richland community can take pride in knowing that their police department is actively working both locally and regionally, to stop predators before they can cause harm.”

The Task Force uses several tools of the trade to track the suspected detainees from physical to digital footprints in the fight against child exploitation right here in Washington State.

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