Bills use Internet task force, “maximum security parole,” to combat child exploitation

SACRAMENTO — Three leading public safety groups — the National Association to Protect Children (PROTECT), Crime Victims United of California (CVUC) and California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) — today presented a jointly sponsored bi-partisan legislative package aimed at the worst offenders in the state … those who prey upon children.

“PROTECT’s sole purpose is to protect children from sexual predators and exploitation, and these bills do exactly that,” said PROTECT spokesperson Alison Arngrim, an incest survivor and child actress who played Nellie Oleson on The Little House on the Prairie. “These bills fight the alarming increase in Internet child pornography, and ensure strict monitoring of paroled sex offenders.”

The groups’ child safety package includes SB 590 (Battin), AB 487 (Garcia/Parra) and AB 440 (Parra/Garcia).  SB 590 cracks down on child exploitation using Internet Task Forces; AB 487 increases supervision of sex offenders; and AB 440 increases access to vital data on child exploitation.

“Law enforcement tells us that Internet child pornography is growing — but we need the cold, hard data to back this up.  That is why I introduced AB 440,” said Assemblywoman Nicole Parra. “Having access to this vital data will help our public safety professionals do the job we expect them to do — get child pornographers and other sexual predators off our streets and off our computers and away from our kids.”

“Crime Victims United of California represents all victims — regardless of age. But nothing is more heartbreaking — and life altering — than the violation of an innocent child,” said Nina Salarno, Executive Board Member of Crime Victims United of California. “These bills will make it much more difficult for criminals to abuse, exploit, molest and otherwise harm our children.”

“Sex offenders are the most despicable of criminals,” said Chuck Alexander, Executive Vice President of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association.  “And while our first priority should be to prevent these crimes before they occur, once a crime has been committed, there needs to be serious consequences.”

“I have made it the goal of my Legislative career to defend our most valuable and vulnerable resources — our children,” said Senator Jim Battin. “SB 590 will help us apprehend those who harm and exploit children through Internet pornography — saving lives and taking a bite out of this growing industry.”

“Statistics show 70% of all victims of sexual assault are children,” said Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, speaking about her bill AB 487. “With the high rate of recidivism among sex offenders, we must make personal supervision a priority — and parole officers are our ‘eyes on the ground.’ They need to be given the time and resources to watch sexual predators particularly closely.”

PROTECT is a national, pro-child, anti-crime organization dedicated to protecting children from harm. Crime Victims United of California is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the rights of crime victims and promoting effective crime-reduction measures. And the California Correctional Peace Officers Association is one of the largest law enforcement unions of California, representing nearly 34,000 correctional peace officers statewide.