"These funds will allow law enforcement officials to combat sexual predators who use the Internet for destructive objectives," James said. "Protecting children from such devious criminals is one of our highest commitments in the public safety community."
In 2006, Gov. Matt Blunt made the passage of Missouri's version of Jessica's law among his top legislative priorities. The law, which mandated a lifetime sentence with a minimum of 30 years for serious sexual crimes committed against young children, also included a provision granting the Department of Public Safety authority to administer the grant program in order to assist local law enforcement in combating online predators.
The 2008 Internet Cyber Crime Grant Program will distribute funding to support detectives' salaries, training, equipment and computer forensic personnel who focus on preventing and controlling cyber crime.
Independently recognized task forces and local law enforcement agencies are eligible to apply for the grants which are awarded on a competitive basis. The deadline is June 6, 2007 and application packets can be found online.
