Blaine County Sheriff's Office joins Oklahoma (ICAC).

Watonga, Oklahoma – February 3, 2021. Sheriff Travis Daugherty, recently announced that the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) has joined the Oklahoma Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force as an affiliate agency. Daugherty is partnering with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), which is the lead agency for ICAC in Oklahoma.

The ICAC task force program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse images available electronically and heightened online activity by predators seeking unsupervised contact with potential underage victims. Each agency involved engage in both proactive and reactive investigations, forensic investigations and criminal prosecutions.

As an affiliated ICAC Task Force agency, Cyber Crimes Investigators from the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office will be able to take advantage of the training opportunities offered by the Oklahoma ICAC Task Force Program.

The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office will work closely with OSBI and the Oklahoma ICAC Task Force, whose purpose is to investigate and prosecute crimes involving child exploitation. Those crimes include sexual solicitation of a child, and the manufacture, distribution, and possession of child pornography. This Task Force focuses on child predators that use computers, the Internet, cell phones and technology in general to victimize children.

Along with investigations and prosecution, The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office will be better able to help in educating parents, children and others of the dangers of online predators. If you suspect a child is being sexually exploited, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children immediately at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.cybertipline.com.