More Funding OK'd to Target Child Pornographers

WASHINGTON - Virginia police are expected to get more funding to step up child pornography investigations.

The funding, to be worked out in a Virginia House-Senate legislative conference before March 8, could be as much as $1.25 million.

That's the amount the Virginia House Appropriations Committee approved, with the money slated to go to the Southern and Northern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, says Democratic Delegate Brian Moran.

Moran, who is running for governor, and House Appropriations Vice-Chairman Phil Hamilton, R-Newport News, originally sought $32 million, but the Senate rejected the initial proposal because of "hard economic times."

"As a former prosecutor, I know our law-enforcement officers need the tools and resources required to protect us, and as the father of two young children, I couldn't be happier that we've taken this great first step," Moran said.

"Thirty percent of these people who possess this pornography victimize children," Moran tells WTOP.

Moran says the initiative is known as "Alicia's Law" in honor of Alicia Kozakiewicz, the 13-year-old girl who was abducted and tortured in a Virginia basement by a man who contacted her over the Internet.

The new funds will allow the task force to add new analysts and investigators, allow more cases to be investigated and provide new training programs.

According to the ICAC, more than 19,000 computers in Virginia contain hardcore child pornography.

The list below shows the top 30 regions of known child pornography on hard drives distributed through peer-to-peer networks and number of computers with that porn, according to the ICAC:

• Virginia Beach -- 1,956
• Norfolk -- 1,367
• Richmond -- 1,256
• Herndon -- 1,058
• Newport News -- 887
• Chesapeake -- 815
• Hampton -- 674
• Alexandria -- 657
• Fairfax -- 507
• Arlington -- 503
• Woodbridge -- 467
• Roanoke -- 406
• Falls Church -- 386
• Reston -- 373
• Fredericksburg -- 360
• Manassas -- 353
• Portsmouth -- 336
• Ashburn -- 319
• Springfield -- 246
• Charlottesville -- 243
• Williamsburg -- 229
• Yorktown -- 226
• Midlothian -- 222
• Centreville -- 203
• Vienna -- 162
• Stafford -- 156
• Annandale -- 152
• Harrisonburg -- 147
• Lynchburg -- 139
• Winchester -- 136
• McLean -- 129
• Waynesboro -- 124
• Blacksburg -- 121
• Warrenton -- 105

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