Child Pornography: - Center for Problem-Oriented Policing

United States Customs Service
United States Department of Treasury
The United States Customs Service targets the illegal importation and trafficking of child
pornography and combats child sex tourism. 456 Through the Customs CyberSmuggling
Center (C3), the Customs Service acts as a front line of defense against smuggling over
"traditional" borders as well as smuggling facilitated over the Internet. The new C3, housed
in northern Virginia, aggressively targets importers, distributors, and purveyors of child pornography
to prevent sexual exploitation of children in the US and abroad. 457 It maintains a
reporting link to NCMEC on the US Customs web page (www.customs.treas.gov), a telephone
reporting line, and also acts on tips from callers reporting web sites, individuals,
servers, or chat rooms trafficking in suspected child pornography as well as instances of
child sex tourism.
The C3 Child Exploitation Unit (CEU) combats the illegal importation and proliferation
of international child pornography and sex tourism. The Office of Investigations established
the C3 to more effectively focus Customs resources on Internet crimes. The C3 brings together
all Customs Service resources dedicated to the investigation of international criminal
activity conducted on or facilitated by the Internet. C3 combats the diverse ways in which
offenders download, possess, and distribute child pornography by continually training personnel
and upgrading their law-enforcement techniques. C3 acts as a clearinghouse and
directs investigations to applicable areas within the US and internationally. It further coordinates
and spearheads larger, more complex investigations.
Established in 1997, C3 facilitated a renewed collaboration on child sexual exploitation
over the Internet with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children through the
CyberTipline. US Customs, in conjunction with the C3, links NCMEC's CyberTipline reporting
mechanism onto the US Customs web site. C3's CEU reviews appropriate tips from
NCMEC and further investigates those under Customs jurisdiction relating to child pornography
and sex tourism.
United States Postal Inspection Service
The United States Postal Inspection Service is the federal law-enforcement arm of the US
Postal Service with responsibility for investigating crimes involving the US Mail including all
child pornography and child-sexual-exploitation offenses. It gives priority attention to the
mailing of child pornography and serves as a lead agency in the federal government's effort to
eliminate the production and distribution of such material. It also works with local law enforcement
nationwide to assist their efforts to investigate and prosecute individuals who are
sexually exploiting children.
Since enactment of the federal Child Protection Act of 1984, postal inspectors have conducted
more than 3,500 child-exploitation investigations resulting in the arrest of more than
3,000 child molesters and pornographers. Internationally the Postal Inspection Service plays
an important role in INTERPOL's Standing Working Party on Offenses Against Minors 458
by providing training on child sexual exploitation to delegates from other countries.
44 - CHILD PORNOGRAPHY: THE CRIMINAL-JUSTICE-SYSTEM RESPONSE