'Shocking and disturbing': Task force investigates sexual predators across country, NC

A unit of the SBI is focused on rescuing and protecting children from online sexual predators.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force operates nationwide, tracking down leads about sexual predators.

Across North Carolina, ICAC is a network of local, state and federal agencies, all working to prevent the sexual exploitation of minors.

In recent months, the unit's work led to the arrest of several suspected sexual predators in the Triangle and nearby communities. But, officials said, its workload has grown to be nearly overwhelming.

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"You don't want to miss something. You don't want to miss the child that's in danger. You don't want to be overburdened or overloaded with the amount of leads, calls and cyber tips that are coming in and miss the one that's going to make the difference in saving a child," said Alan Flora, ICAC task force commander.

Last year, the task force received 4,700 tips - 10 times more than it received 10 years ago.

Flora said it's not just about arresting the next bad guy, but about protecting children.

"Anyone who thinks that because they're in the comfort of their home and getting away with exploiting children, they'd better think again," Flora said.

From 2016 to 2018, the number of cyber tips doubled.

Tiffany Pate, a State Bureau of Investigation intelligence analyst, fields thousands of tips each year. She says the biggest challenge is staying one step ahead of suspected child sexual predators.

"Technology is increasingly changing on a daily basis," she said. "Twenty years ago, when we children didn't have technology at our fingertips...we didn't have phones that access social media and the internet."

Any seized evidence is dissected in the ICAC lab, where investigators begin to build their case against a suspected child sexual predator.

ICAC has nearly 200 partners statewide, including prosecutors, who are all focused on protecting children from sexual predators.