Law Enforcement

Clayton C. Blackwell III

Assistant Program Manager of the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Colorado Springs Police Department

            The reason I got involved in this endeavor was almost by accident, however as I think back on previous experiences, it almost seems as though I was meant to be here.  I recall speaking with Croatian children while in that country in the mid 90’s as a soldier and how thrilled they were by our presence and the fact that we were there to improve their lives and protect them.  I didn’t equate that experience at the time, but I now realize that feeling of satisfaction is the same one I get by protecting children and pulling them out of bad situations.

            When I first went into investigations I was working gangs and was therefore drawn to homicide investigations believing that was where I wanted to work.  A respected colleague told me that I would learn much more and gain greater satisfaction from working in the sex crimes/crimes against children unit, plus it was a starting point for experience to increase chances of being selected as a homicide detective.  It took about a month before I realized that I didn’t care to ever test for a homicide position.  The satisfaction of removing children from abusive situations and getting them on the road to healing, or speaking for the child that no longer could because they had been murdered by a parent or trusted adult, was the greatest cause I or anyone else could take up. 

            I followed that same colleague to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Unit.  The difference in talking to these children and having to witness the actual abuse was very powerful.  The visual depiction of this abuse made me so angry with these predators that it created a passion in me for catching and arresting them.  During the first month in the unit I was touched by discovering a 7 year old Colorado Springs girl who abused and the abuse was recorded in images.  We were able to remove her from that situation and get her help.  The happiness this child showed and the safe feeling she displayed by our mere presence at her home further fueled my passion.  

            A large part of our approach to dealing with this crime is to educate children to be safe and protect themselves online.  We are simply unable to arrest our way out of the problem.  I found myself speaking several times a week in this effort, as were my partners.  We found the need for education was overwhelming and there was no way for us to deliver that education everywhere it was needed.  Everyday we got more and more request for presentations to children and parents.  We began pushing legislation to require Internet safety be taught in the schools so that there was a proven and efficient way to deliver this education and it could reach those that needed it most the fastest.

            When Project Safe Childhood came out from the Office of Justice, it seemed like the perfect opportunity and tool to further the cause of this educational process.  I was thrilled by the prospects of what such a program could mean in the prevention of sexual exploitation of children.  The program was meant to support Internet safety and increase cooperation between government agencies in investigations, but it has done so much more in pulling together various groups and members of society for the common noble goal of protecting our nation’s children.