PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sheriff’s Office Announces Cyber Task Force
Public Information Officer:
April 14th, 2008
Cpl. Kevin Tieman,
Cass County Sheriff’s Office
816-380-8615 (Office)
816-738-4394 (Cell)
Cass Co. – In the last twelve years, the Internet has become an increasingly valuable tool in the education of today’s youth. The internet can be a valuable resource of information for any topic imaginable, from foreign languages to space exploration. The internet is a source of entertainment with dozens of social networking and online gaming sites. With more young people online today than ever before coupled with the web’s newfound portability, it was only a matter of time before sexual predators, especially those with a proclivity for children, discovered this electronic playground. With this in mind, the Sheriff’ s of Buchanan, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Jackson, Johnson (MO), Lafayette, Platte, and Ray counties created a special task force to combat this evolving danger. The Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force (WMCCTF) is a team of regional cyber-crime detectives who are trained to investigate crimes facilitated by electronic media, i.e. online child enticement andchild pornography.
As part of a need for community awareness, we at the WMCCTF are reaching out to the community to assist with a rather difficult task, to be our eyes and ears. If you have anyone that you suspect may have been subjected to such activity, please notify us as soon as possible. Symptoms of children involved with sexual exploitation or child pornography may include emotional withdrawal, anti-social behavior, depression, mood swings, fear, and anxiety. Bear in mind of course, that no one symptom alone is indicative of such activity. Please be vigilant and help us combat this growing threat.
If you would like to report criminal activity or perhaps like more information about the task force, please contact the Task Force Tip Line at (816) 858-1922.