DES MOINES, Iowa — When predators upload child pornography into the Cloud, investigators are able to start their investigation within moments. But, according to members of the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children task force, sometimes it's not that easy.
Iowa ICAC's main mission is the protection of children online against sexual predators or those seeking out children for sexual exploitation.
Nathaniel McLaren, a special agent for ICAC, says that over the last 10 years, child pornography cases have been rapidly trending upward.
In the past decade, there's been a 1,700% increase in child pornography tips, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
"Roughly right now we're receiving just tips from them, not including referrals from other agencies, or individuals calling," McLaren said. "And we receive roughly 400 cyber tips a month for this for the state of Iowa."
The task force isn't working alone to combat the rising number of tips.
Once they're able to locate the predator, they turn to local law enforcement for help with arresting.
Des Moines Police Department's Sgt. Paul Parizek says that very thing just happened in Des Moines.
"They received a tip that was a person here in town who was uploading child pornography to the internet, they gave it to our investigators, they dug into it right away," he said. "Within 24 hours, we had a search warrant, and we had him in custody."
Special agent McLaren warns that all parents should know the importance of monitoring what their children are doing online.
"It's always important for parents to communicate with their children of their online activities. Be friends with them online, know their activities, just open communication. That way you can see what individuals they're speaking with," McLaren said.
Members of the task force say this work is some of the most difficult police work imaginable — but helping kids out of dangerous situations is what keeps them motivated to continue investigating these cases.
If you know of a child that has fallen victim to a sexual predator, visit NCMEC's CyberTip report page or call the tip line at 1-800-843-5678.