DOJ Awards Grants to Seattle Police, Skokomish Tribe for Programs to Protect Children from Predators

            U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan announced today that significant federal funding has been awarded to the Seattle Police Department and the Skokomish Indian Tribe aimed at keeping youth safe from sex predators.  The Seattle Police Department received nearly $430,000 to fund its internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.  The Skokomish Tribe received more than $274,000 to fund sex offender registration and monitoring on tribal lands.

            “There is no higher priority than the safety of our children both online and in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.  “These federal funds make a critical difference in both our urban and rural settings to the challenges faced by law enforcement.  I congratulate the Skokomish Tribe and the Seattle Police Department for securing these grants through a competitive process.”

            The grant award to the Seattle Police Department is from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and will fund a commander, detective, training and equipment for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  The funding is part of the PROTECT Act of 2008 that targets the use of the internet to prey on children.  Some of the funding will be used for outreach to schools and parents about emerging technologies that could be misused and pose a risk to children.

            The grant to the Skokomish Tribe is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.  The funding will allow the tribe to hire a compliance officer to ensure sex offender registration and community notification.  The grant will allow for greater community outreach and education and will allow the tribe to set up a kiosk at the Tribal Center where residents can get information about registered sex offenders in their community.