Hike in child porn cases grows task force

More than 400 percent rise since 2015

WEST CHESTER » A significant increase in the number of reported instances of child pornography cases in Chester County has led the District Attorney’s Office to beef up the group of investigators from local and county law enforcement that investigates such crimes.

On Tuesday, the D.A.’s Office announced that the number of detectives assigned to the Chester County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force had grown to 10 officers from eight departments, a more than threefold increase in size.

New task force members include investigators from Phoenixville, Oxford, East Brandywine, West Whiteland, North Coventry, Willistown, and Kennett Square.

“Chester County law enforcement is putting child predators on notice that we are coming for you,” said District Attorney Deb Ryan in a statement. “There has been an explosion in child sexual abuse cases over the past six years that must stop now.”

Ryan said that the number of cases involving child pornography had risen by 400 percent since 2015. In the past six years, the number of reported cases involving the crime of sexual abuse of children — the formal term for child porn charges — that come through the ICAC had risen from 39 in 2015 to 139 to date. Members of the Chester County Detectives Office, predict as many as 150 cases by the end of 2021, her statement read.

Over the years, investigators have arrested teachers, daycare workers, coaches, fathers, mothers, babysitters, and others across all socioeconomic levels for possession of illicit material.

“Too many children are out there suffering at the hands of men and women who think nothing of using a child for their depraved sexual gratification,” said

Ryan, who at one time headed the D.A.’s Child Abuse Unit and prosecuted some of the most infamous sexual assault cases involving children. “So to those individuals, know this: You cannot run or hide. We will find you and put you behind bars for as long as possible.”

David Sassa, chief of county Detectives and a former child abuse investigator, noted the prevalence of child pornography as evidence of sexual predators in the midst of the county’s population.

“Their continued viewing and trading of images and videos of the sexual abuse of children not only perpetuates the cycle of abuse but makes it easier for offenders to normalize their behavior,” said Sassa in the statement,

which was posted on social media. “With this outstanding addition and commitment of our law enforcement partners, we will be able to multiply our efforts to root them out.”

The ICAC was created to help federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies enhance their investigative responses to offenders who use the internet, online

communication systems, or computer technology to sexually exploit children. The program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice, and Delinquency Prevention.

County Detective Sgt. Joe Walton was the sole member of the Chester County ICAC Task Force when it was formed in 2001.

“We are dealing with hundreds of predators who jeopardize the safety of our children,” he said. “Over the past 20 years, we have seen predators collecting millions of images of child pornography, sexually assaulting children, and sharing the images with others. We won’t stop working until our children are safe.”

With the announcement, the ICAC force includes Detective. Nick Natale of Phoenixville; Detective Chris Coverly of Oxford; Detective

Cpl. Dan Orris of East Brandywine; Detective Michael Buchman of West Whiteland, Detective Tim Prouty, of North Coventry; Detective Sgt. Steve Jones of Willistown; Detective Chris Gravina of Kennett Square; and Detectives Ben Martin and Jerry Davis of the county Detectives, as well as Walton.

The D.A.’s Office offers free virtual Stewards of Children workshops that teach adults how to recognize, react, and respond to child sexual abuse cases. For more information or to signup for a class, contact county coordinator Katie Walters at kwalters@ chesco.org or 610-344-6115.

Those who suspect child abuse or child pornography can call Childline at 1-800932-0313.