Help Could Be On The Way In War On Child Pornography

Augusta – At the computer crimes lab in Vassalboro, they analyze evidence that helps put child pornograpghers behind bars.  But that’s only part of what they do.  For the staff of just 2 investigators and 5 forensic examiners, it’s a constant battle to keep up with a workload that seems to mutliply daily.  “Well just look around. There isn’t a person standing here that doesn’t have some sort of electronic appliance or device on them. It’s huge,” says Colonel Robert Williams, Chief of the Maine State Police. “And just not the child pornography side of it, but the white collar crime. The scams that go on daily.”

State Senator Bill Diamond of Windham is proposing legislation that would bring some help to the people working here.  “We’ve got evidence 20 feet from an empty desk that would take predators off the street,” Diamond said Friday. “Save kids from being molested or tortured in some cases. But we can’t get to it because we don’t have the people to do that.”

Diamond’s bill would, among other things, add 4 new forensic examiners to the staff in Vassalboro.  At a public hearing Friday, nobody directly opposed the plan, but with a price tag of roughly $300,000, some lawmakers questioned where the money will come from.  “I can guarantee you, I can find $300,000 in that budget without raising any taxes because it’s a matter of priorities. And that’s what we have to understand,” Diamond told lawmakers.

The new forensic examiners proposed in the bill will not only allow them to deal with the day-to-day, but also get caught up, but they should get caught up and stay caught up.  Without more help, law enforcement officials say the workload will continue to rise.  “You could be in a foreign country right now viewing pornography of a child in Maine. Or you could be in Maine producing child pornography that goes to another country. There are no boundaries,” Colonel Williams said.

Diamond’s bill is now in the hands of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.  If approved, it would head to the House of Representatives and the Senate for a vote.

http://www.wabi.tv/news/27754/help-could-be-on-the-way-in-war-on-child-pornography