Last week I attended a disturbing meeting. Not a City Council meeting or a committee meeting but rather a meeting with law enforcement on child pornography. I did not know what to expect.
The Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children (SVICAC) is responsible for investigating cases of web-facilitated child pornography and cases of child sexual exploitation or abuse that results from contact over the Internet. There is a small team that works in this capacity that presented at the meeting. A San Jose Police Department officer gave a very informative presentation, and the seriousness of the content was striking.
There is no typical profile for a person who commits crimes related to child pornography other than they are almost entirely male. The offenders run the gamut of all ages, ethnic groups, sexual orientation, religion, education, income, etc. Through its investigations, the SJPD has arrested people in Bay Area cities outside of San Jose. This team seems very committed to the task at hand and partners with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
I had never seen child pornography, however, I was about to find out during the presentation. During the meeting they showed some censored photos. At first the photos looked innocent enough, but soon they became something I could not have imagined and cannot repeat here. Suffice it to say, the photos were very disturbing—to the point that I grimace as I write this blog.
I especially appreciate the efforts of law enforcement in this area as a significant portion of those who view child porn may also victimize a child. For some, it is a cycle as many child molesters were molested themselves as children. Some may say there are cultural issues and that viewing child porn is OK as certain countries or cultures have different social norms. But after seeing it first hand, I do not believe any culture could condone the acts depicted.
The accessibility of this content is available via peer-to-peer file sharing applications. Files are shared across international borders, raising the issue above the level of local law enforcement. Like other types of crime, only a fraction of those who download child pornography are actually caught. Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder and treatment may reduce incidents, but there is no cure.
Today, each conviction requires the efforts of an extensive technical police investigation. Perhaps in the future, there may be a less time consuming way to identify these people via new Federal legislation. For now, though, know that you have a committed team at SJPD along with the Sheriff’s office doing their best to investigate, arrest and convict.
Mr. Oliverio:
You go to many meetings. Some of which you won’t remember. Well I guarantee you will remember this one for the rest of your life.
The men and woman of law enforcement have to view this stuff for a living. We all know that the men and women of law enforcement have chosen a profession where hazards lurk behind every corner and life-threatening dangers are part of putting on the uniform. What many don’t care to think about are the physiological hazards that law enforcement face. The site of a dead child pulled from a pool. The site of a mangled traffic accident. The site of child porn. Just like the sewage plant employee, it is not a pretty job but someone needs to do it.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about this important job. It is no wonder why they have a good pension even if they don’t get paid as well as some silicon computer engineers. I hope you remember the need for this important job when considering future cuts in the budget.
I wonder how many officers are currently assigned to oversee the sex registrants in San Jose. How many sex registrants are there in the city? How many officers have been cut from that unit due to budget woes?
Perhaps in the future, there may be a less time consuming way to identify these people via new Federal legislation.
The only way that will happen is through completely invasive packet sniffing at backbone routers, inspecting each packet as it passed through on its way to another network.
Because we can’t be too careful, right? We should extend this to UPS, the USPS, and Fed-Ex because they can all be carriers of child porn.
My sarcasm brings a point though.
Granted, pedophiles are the scum of the earth. It grimaces me to say that we’re not allowed to lynch them down at Saint James Park in a Romanesque public execution. I’ve seen a lot of cops lose their minds over just how bad it gets…
Still though, every citizen gets due process. They also get the freedom of privacy for their person, property, and to some extent, their packets.
Despite myself having nothing to hide, I don’t feel comfortable with the federal doing packet inspection on everyone to find a few bad guys. I didn’t do anything wrong, why look at my packets?
Despite the internet being a different medium, our American freedoms and rights still apply.
Since we’re on this discussion, how do you feel about SOPA, Protect IP and NDAA PLO? I think more people than myself are interested on your vote on these bills.
RC
Finally PLO You get a small look at what these officers see everyday.Police officers and Firefighters see things most individuals would rather not . There is no doubt in my mind that these images are burned into their memories forever . This is why they earn and deserve what they get. they do their jobs without question and to the best of their abilities. The attacks from City Hall are unwarrented and mean spirited. nobody complains when they are the one who need P.D. or F.D.. only when City Hall spreads its vicious lies. Let the workers of San Jose and Negotiating team return to the table to begin Real/actual negotiations in an open forum for all to see
This is what I have been preaching for years. We take for granted what these people go through. We sleep safely at night in our homes, these people work all hours, holidays, special events so we can be safe. See the horrible crimes then have to go home to their families. The light switch does not just go off, memories are burned, never to be forgotten for the rest of their lives.
And we complain about their pensions and short life span after retirement!
God Bless these individuals.
At Inquisition 21 I have read an account of police officers laughing while viewing child porn.
I am sure that there must be disturbing instances of child pornography, just as there are disturbing instances of adult pornography (I have seen references to “Two Girls One Cup” and “goatse” as examples), but I have no reason to believe these are common. I suspect the police department cherry picked the worst examples in order to justify their budget, and the responses here lead me to believe that other police officers are commenting with the intention of increasing public approval for continuing ruinous budgets. It won’t matter, however. Math will win out, and government employees and union members will not get the pensions promised to them – or, at least, they will not be worth much.
Considering that pictures of fully clothed girls have been prosecuted as child pornography (see Webeweb), I don’t trust anything that law enforcement says on the matter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2xfzmcOPg0
Remember these are the very officers you helped to layoff and cut salaries and pensions to the point that they are leaving to other departments, keep cutting and this unit will be cut as well.
Food for thought, remember the photos of innocent children before you keep cutting jobs.
PO,
Love your comment:
“Perhaps in the future, there may be a less time consuming way to identify these people via new Federal legislation. For now, though”
Translation:
Hurry up feds, speed up the process so I can layoff more officers so we don’t need this dedicated unit of officers to investigate crimes against children. I hope the Feds will do this for us.
attending a meeting not to promote yourself, OUTSTANDING!
“Sinister Element Among Us” yup that is you and most of Chuckie’s council. How about you educate yourself on how to manage the cities budget and take a course on how not to lie to the public with a straight face!
If this was not a City Council meeting or a committee meeting I’m curious why were you there?
NOPE…..All of the police officers that sacrafice their physical and emotional well being to protect the citizens of San Jose are “useless” and “riding the gravey-train”….if it wasn’t for Federal and state grants this SJPD unit would be eliminated or cut down to one supervisor and one officer, just like the rest of the department. Oh well at least the French-Canadian circus is coming to town. Please make sure your parking permits are visible when parked in the new unsecured dirt lot. P.O. you still are the greatest!!!
The most basic rule of our culture has to be the respect of the character and rights of children. Children are not to be considered objects for money, sex, or for the perverted desires of any business or political effort. Paintings depicting children as objects of bullying, assault, or any other terrible process has to be an absolute standard. Zero tolerance for the abuse of children in any form.
Can we agree that any group or business, or organization that uses children as objects of exploitation or scorn, or to prove their own political or social point has to turned out of our society as anathemas. Anyone who laughs at the objection of using kids like this should be as guilty, and it must be the standard of any poster on this blog, and we must be dedicated to shed light on any business, person, or local group who has done this in any way.
Pier,
Thanks for taking the time to attend this training. You now have a small snippet forever burned in your brain like the thousands of victims burned into the minds of those officers that deal with the scum of the earth amongst us.
Can you explain how the DA office gets to interact involving an officer shooting.
Do you have any input before it / if it goes to to the grand jury?
wrong blog
It is interesting that you post this blog about child Porn yet since you have in Office you have voted and suggested every way you can against Public Safety! You are a liar and I will vote for the next Council member that is NOT YOU this November!
SVICAC can find pretty much all of these scumbags at any of the City of San Jose local libraries.
They are logged onto City Computers at our libraries that are paid for by us and may be sitting next to your kids! AND trying to commit their crimes on our dime!
Unfortunately the Great “Avert your eyes” Jane Light Disbanded the City Library Security Officers Unit prior to Moving to the New SJSU MLK Building and now the Mayor is laying off San Jose Police Officers… Nice Move!
I hope you learned something PLO
Old Frank
People on this blog pilloried Pete Constant for suggesting that our public libraries not provide free porn on public computers to perverts. They said ‘cuz filters aren’t PERFECT, we couldn’t use them at all.
Jane Light trotted out The First Amendment.She’s gone now, with a nhuge public pension. Lets try again. If folks want to watch porn, they should get their own way to access it; not do it with equipment paid for with public money, all the while keeping people from using the computers for better purposes while they jerk off in the library.
Frank, is this the kind of sick stuff you were talking about? http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/iteam&id=4808374
It’s always good to hear that your always up on these kind of things. I agree the city never does the correct things.