In an ongoing effort to shield the most defenseless among us from the shadowy corners of cyberspace, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office has announced a new stride in their fight against online predators. Capt. Ray Kimbrough and Detective Stephen Ponder have taken up arms, not literal but in the form of a badge and the law, against the scourge of internet crimes targeting children. They’ve been sworn in with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, as reported in a social media post by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office.
With more than 50 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, the ICAC Task Force leverages a partnership envisaged since its federal inception in 1998 and Oklahoma’s establishment in 2006. The task force works relentlessly behind the scenes, tracking down and apprehending those who use the internet as hunting grounds for their vile acts against the young. Having honed their skills in various domains from patrol to school resource roles, both Kimbrough and Ponder have been demonstrating qualities critical for the sensitive operations they are now tasked with.
This tight-knit team responds to a stark rise in cyber threats to minors aiming with precision and persistence, but also with a thoroughness that their new roles demand. Sheriff Chris Amason commends these crimes as “among the most heinous we face,” acknowledging that with the digital age deeply embedded in our children’s lives, safeguarding them has become a mission of utmost importance. “The internet is a central part of our children’s lives, and protecting them online is more important now than ever,” Amason stated, according to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office…