Super Bowl security: 33 arrested on sex-trafficking charges

By Alexis Stevens

With the Super Bowl just days away, federal law enforcement officials announced Wednesday they have arrested 33 people in metro Atlanta on sex-trafficking charges. Authorities said they had also rescued four victims as part of the operation.

Advocates have warned that large sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, are attractive to those in the sex-trafficking trade. They say the crime can surge when lots of free-spending travelers are around.

The 33 arrests came during the past four days, according to Nick Annan, Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge. But Annan declined to discuss specifics of the cases, citing ongoing efforts that will continue throughout the week.

“We plan to continue what we’re doing,” Annan said.

More than 40 local and state law enforcement agencies, along with 25 federal agencies, are assisting with security for the Super Bowl. Officers and security members have been visible throughout downtown Atlanta where events have been held, and those efforts will continue until hours after the big game. So far, all of the months of planning for keeping fans safe in Atlanta has paid off. And those efforts will ramp up as the game gets closer and more visitors arrive.

On Jan. 23 and 24, Homeland Security assisted in a joint operation in Douglas County using undercover officers, social media sites and local hotel rooms, the Douglasville Police Department said Wednesday. Sixteen people were arrested, according to police, and the youngest person involved was 17. The timing of the crackdown was related to the Super Bowl, police said.



Cathy Lanier, NFL Chief Security Officer, speaks during the overview of public safety press conference for Super Bowl 53 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on Wednesday. (Alyssa Pointer)

Investigators have also found more than 2,000 counterfeit items, according to Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security. Neilsen didn’t discuss details about the phony items found. But police have warned fans about fake tickets being sold.

Although the NFL puts special holograms and other features on tickets that help distinguish real ones from fakes, most people won't be able to tell the difference. Police warn ticket-buyers to purchase only from a reputable source.

As part of the massive security operation, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration conducted low-altitude helicopter flights over downtown Atlanta and areas around Buckhead earlier this week, and those will resume Sunday before the game.

Key law enforcement leaders, including Atlanta police Chief Erika Shields, spoke about security efforts during a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the Georgia World Congress Center. Shields said security planning for the Super Bowl began over two years ago, and so far everything is going as planned.

Shields encouraged those heading to the game or other Super Bowl events to plan ahead and rely on public transportation. For those who insist on driving, secure valuables ahead of time, she said. Call 911 or alert an officer to anything suspicious. But above all, Shields encouraged fans to have fun.

“This is a fantastic city,” Shields said. “We really want people to come and just have a great time.”

FBI - Protecting our Children with Technology:

Protecting our Children
Technology, Partnerships Work Hand in Hand

10/03/11
Investigators dedicated to rescuing child victims of sexual abuse and arresting those who traffic in child pornography are often faced with the difficult and time-consuming task of analyzing hundreds of thousands of illicit images traded online.

For the eighth year in a row, October has been designated National Cyber Security Awareness Month. The goal: to reinforce the importance of protecting the cyber networks that are so much a part of our daily lives. The theme of the observance, which is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, is “Our Shared Responsibility." Over the course of the month we will be posting additional stories and information about cyber crimes and security. Read more

That painstaking work is critical to identifying victims and their abusers, however, and members of our Digital Analysis and Research Center (DARC)—part of the FBI’s Innocent Images National Initiative—use a mix of sophisticated computer tools and domestic and international partnerships to get the job done.
DARC personnel, who analyze digital evidence in the most significant online child exploitation cases, are currently testing a software tool called the Child Exploitation Tracking System (CETS). The CETS program—already in use in several locations around the world—is designed to streamline investigations and integrate with other CETS operations so that law enforcement agencies can enhance their cooperation and efficiently move their cases forward.
“CETS has tremendous potential for the FBI,” said Special Agent Barbara Cordero, a veteran cyber investigator who manages research, development, and training for the Innocent Images National Initiative. “Eventually, when everyone is plugged into CETS, it will allow law enforcement everywhere to share key information.”
“If I’m in a small police department in Iowa, I might not know that another department in Maryland is investigating the same subject I am investigating,” Cordero explained. “CETS will tell me that, along with other important information.”

The FBI established the Innocent Images National Initiative in 1995 to address the proliferation of child pornography and child exploitation facilitated by the Internet. A component of the Bureau’s cyber crimes program, the Innocent Images initiative takes a proactive, multi-agency, investigative approach that relies on strong domestic and international law enforcement partnerships.  The initiative prioritizes several investigative areas, including: - Online organizations and enterprises that exploit children for profit or personal gain; - Major distributors and producers of child pornography; - Individuals who travel—or are willing to travel—for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with a minor; and - Possessors of child pornography. Learn more

Essentially, CETS is a repository that can be filled with records pertaining to child pornography and child exploitation cases. The system can contain images, case information, identities of known offenders along with information about their Internet addresses, and other related material. The program can analyze millions of pornographic images, helping law enforcement personnel avoid duplication of effort. The program can also perform in-depth analyses, establishing links in cases that investigators might not have seen by themselves.
“CETS has the ability to put the same information in one place and make it available in a unified standard for everyone,” said Special Agent Charles Wilder, who heads DARC. “That’s important because the Internet has removed all geographic boundaries in these types of crimes.”
The CETS program was created by Microsoft at the request of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police National Child Exploitation Coordination Center—investigators there wanted a system designed specifically for child exploitation cases. The program is now being used in Canada and Australia—and Interpol, the international police organization, is working with several of its member countries to integrate CETS into its existing systems.
The ultimate goal is to expand the number of CETS users and to one day integrate all the operations so investigators can share information in a truly global way. “Right now,” Cordero said, “the immediate benefit for the FBI is that CETS saves us a tremendous amount of time in the image review process. Bad guys who trade pornographic images have massive collections,” she said. “We regularly seize hundreds of thousands of images. CETS makes the review process extremely efficient.”
She added, “The FBI has terrific partnerships with cyber investigators in the U.S. and around the world. As we move forward, CETS will allow us to strengthen those partnerships by sharing more and more critical information. This type of technology is a model for the future.”
Resources:
- Innocent Images National Initiative
- National Cyber Security Awareness Month