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2013 SESSION

13102908D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 315
Offered January 9, 2013
Prefiled January 8, 2013
Commending the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office.
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Patron-- Newman
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WHEREAS, in July 2012, a member of the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was asked to serve a six-month term in Washington, D.C., at the INTERPOL Human Trafficking and Child Protection Division; and

WHEREAS, with the aid of federal funding, the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children (SOVA ICAC) Task Force was formed to continue Operation Blue Ridge Thunder, a program started by the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office in 1998; and

WHEREAS, Operation Blue Ridge Thunder educated children about potential dangers on the Internet, apprehended individuals targeting minors on the Internet, and advocated for increased punishments for offenders; and

WHEREAS, the SOVA ICAC Task Force successfully carried on the noble work started by Operation Blue Ridge Thunder, with the task force growing to include police agencies throughout the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the SOVA ICAC Task Force uses cutting-edge techniques to beat predators at their own game, stemming the flow of child pornography and working to make the Internet a safer place for children; and

WHEREAS, Timothy A. Williams, the director of INTERPOL in Washington, D.C., personally invited Michael J. Brown, the Bedford County sheriff, to send a member of his team to join the Human Trafficking and Child Protection Division; and

WHEREAS, INTERPOL, the largest police organization in the world, only maintains permanent partnerships with three other local police agencies in the United States, a testament to the accomplishments of the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office and the SOVA ICAC Task Force; and

WHEREAS, the SOVA ICAC Task Force has waged a crucial battle against online predators, protecting children by shining light on the heinous acts committed in an often murky territory; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office for its partnership with the INTERPOL Human Trafficking and Child Protection Division; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Michael J. Brown, Bedford County sheriff and founder of the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the task force’s unyielding defense of minors on the Internet.