A total of 126 individuals have been arrested as a result of an intensive five-month initiative targeting predators who solicit children online and distribute child pornography.

Led by the Florida Department of Law, the Operation Eviction task force was a collaborative effort comprising local, state, and federal law enforcement officers, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Computer Crime Center, and the North Florida and South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children. The task force worked in conjunction with the Attorney Generals’ CyberCrime Unit. The operation ran from January 1 through May 31, 2007.

“The importance of presenting a united front against cyber criminals, when we are trying to protect our children, cannot be over emphasized,” says Attorney General Bill McCollum. “Internet predators know no geographical boundaries, and we must fully cooperate to effectively cover our state with our protective efforts. This operation has achieved phenomenal results and my office will soon have 50 additional staff members in the CyberCrime Unit to assist in these endeavors.”

The CyberCrime Unit's and Operation Eviction’s goal is to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children by merging together all available resources.

“The United States Attorney's Offices in Florida are committed to vigorously prosecuting child pornography and exploitation cases under the Attorney General's highest priority, Project Safe Childhood,” says acting U.S. Attorney James R. Klindt. “Together with our state and local partners, we will continue to aggressively pursue and incarcerate for the longest terms possible those who would use the Internet to prey on Florida's children.”

Statistics purport that more than 77 million American children regularly use the Internet. According to the Federal Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Florida ranks fourth in the nation in volume of child pornography. Disturbingly, statistics also purport that nationally, one in seven children between the ages of ten and 17 have been solicited online by a sexual predator.