Lafayette Reporter

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana has reintroduced the Targeting Child Predators Act, aiming to combat the online exploitation of children. This legislation seeks to empower law enforcement by providing additional resources to pursue and prosecute child predators.

Senator Kennedy emphasized the importance of protecting vulnerable children, stating, "Innocent children are uniquely vulnerable to wicked people who commit one of the worst crimes imaginable in the internet’s shadows. Law enforcement should have every resource at their disposal to stop and punish child predators, and this bill delivers a critical tool for the good guys."

Currently, suspected predators can evade accountability when electronic communication service (ECS) providers notify them of ongoing investigations. During standard investigative procedures, law enforcement typically uses IP addresses to identify suspects and may subpoena ECS providers for user information. The new bill would prevent ECS providers from informing suspects of such investigations for at least 180 days if it is deemed necessary to protect the integrity of the investigation.

Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska are cosponsoring the bill. Senator Cornyn remarked, “We live in a digitally dominated world and while there are many positive benefits that come with that, there’s also a dark underbelly. This legislation would support law enforcement’s efforts to mitigate the dangerous threats that lurk behind the screens we look at daily and safeguard Texas children from harm.”

Supporting organizations include the Child Rescue Coalition, Raven, the Major County Sheriffs of America, and the National Fraternal Order of Police. Greg Schiller of the Child Rescue Coalition noted, “The TCPA will streamline data access for law enforcement in child exploitation cases, without compromising their investigations, or repeatedly burdening the Judiciary, enabling quicker investigations to protect and rescue victims from online predators.”

Jennifer Dunton from Raven added, “This bill will prevent tech companies from notifying child predators of subpoena service which will keep vital evidence from being destroyed and increase law enforcement’s ability to rescue victims.”

Sheriff Bill Brown, representing the Major County Sheriffs of America, endorsed the bill, saying, “If those who target and exploit children are tipped off when a criminal investigation is underway, they can destroy evidence and as a result complicate the recovery of evidence. This bill would help to minimize this possibility and improve our chances of putting them behind bars. We encourage Congress to act on this important legislation.”

Patrick Yoes from the National Fraternal Order of Police concluded, “The ‘Targeting Child Predators Act’ makes a common-sense change that ensures that law enforcement has the necessary time to conduct thorough investigations and build strong cases against offenders. This change would ultimately help remove predators from our neighborhoods and make our internet communities safer for children and families.”

Further details on the bill can be accessed online.