Federal Bureau of Investigation - Congressional Statements

On behalf of Director Robert S. Mueller, III of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Assistant Director Cassandra M. Chandler of the FBI's Office of Public Affairs, I thank you for this opportunity to speak about why it is so important for the FBI to be involved in proactive community outreach initiatives that can help to safeguard our youth against predators seeking to harm America's most precious resource. Director Mueller stated at a recent engagement that "the mission of the FBI's Crimes Against Children Program is to develop a nationwide capacity to provide a rapid and effective investigative response to federal crimes involving the victimization of children and reduce the vulnerability of children to acts of sexual exploitation and abuse." It is the purpose of the FBI's Community Outreach Program to prevent victimization of children by predators through proactive initiatives such as educational pamphlets for parents and youth, as well as the FBI's Adopt-A-School Program efforts operating in the 56 field offices which are working directly with youth through school systems. Through the FBI's partnership with I-SAFE, it is the FBI's hope that such initiatives will reduce children's exposure to predators by providing these educational materials to parents and children to enable youth to make better educated decisions while utilizing the internet and informing parents of the various evils lurking to entice youth into harm's way.

Like you we, in the FBI, believe that our children are our Nation's most valuable asset. They represent the bright future of our country and hold our hopes for a better Nation. Our children are also the most vulnerable members of society. Protecting our children against the fear of crime and from becoming victims of crime must be a national priority. Unfortunately the same advances in computer and telecommunication technology that allow our children to reach out to new sources of knowledge and cultural experiences are also leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and harm by computer-sex offenders. Therein lies the rationale by which the FBI established partnerships with I-SAFE and other nonprofit entities, as well as a salient reason for the FBI having a Community Outreach Program with one of its key components being prevention efforts. The FBI has established community outreach programs to encourage and educate parents, guardians, and children on the dangers associated with the Internet. The need for community outreach programs is predicated on the rapid growth of the Internet which has become a catalyst for the widespread victimization of children. With increased usage, the potential for crimes against children increases as well.Unfortunately, the full scope of child pornography and child exploitation via the Internet and other means is unknown. In addition to investigative efforts, educational, and prevention efforts are needed in addressing the root causes of this growing crime problem and prevent this serious threat to our children. A multi-agency community outreach approach is the most successful means to address this problem.

To further the FBI’s mission to rescue witting and unwitting child victims, the FBI seeks to enhance community outreach efforts by developing working relationship among the FBI's Community Outreach Program, I-Safe America, Inc., American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) National Child Identification Program, and National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, among other non-profit entities for the benefit of educating parents and youth on internet safety and child safety initiatives. This joint venture assists in achieving established short- and long-term goals and is consistent with the congressional mandate to combat child pornography and sexual exploitation of children on the Internet.

JOINT INITIATIVES WITH I-SAFE

The FBI's Birmingham, Chicago, Honolulu, Kansas City, Knoxville, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Memphis, Mobile, Philadelphia, San Diego, and San Francisco Field Offices have developed local partnerships with I-SAFE to combat child pornography and sexual exploitation of children on the Internet.
SAFE conducts a segment of training for the FBI's Community Outreach Specialists (COSs) at the COSs annual COP in-service training.
FBI's Los Angeles Field Office has been certified by I-SAFE to conduct I-SAFE training to other nonprofit entities and school personnel.

OBJECTIVES

Incorporated lesson plans and educational material developed by I-SAFE into presentations and community outreach projects for use by the FBI’s Community Outreach Specialists (COS) in the 56 field offices outreach programs.
Through the FBI's partnership with I-SAFE, the FBI's COP presents clear and concise information that is used in communities to empower parents, guardians, and children with knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to cope with the dangers associated with the Internet.
To continue a partnership between the FBI and the AFCA, which promotes fingerprinting of children by their parents through the distribution by the AFCA of inkless fingerprint identification kits to be retained by the parents for future use by law enforcement in locating missing children.

Thank you again for this opportunity to share with you some of what the FBI is doing to address crimes committed against children. We look forward to working with you, our partners in law enforcement, and communities across America as we seek new and better ways to give our children the protection they need and deserve.