Last year we supported District Attorney Cody Brown’s WRATH unit.

The group is a specialized investigative unit of local law enforcement officers committed to protecting children from online exploitation. The unit, as envisioned by Brown, works to identify and capture those who prey on children through digital means. Its mission is to expose and prosecute those who seek to exploit minors online.

We have seen too many instances locally of children locally who have victims of online child sex predators, which is why we so vocally backed Brown’s initiative. But we recognize such units require investment to pay for special details.

That’s why we’re equally supportive of House Bill 1098, sponsored by Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-Washington, and Rep. Jessica Benham, D-Allegheny. Known as Alicia’s Law, House Bill 1098 creates a dedicated state grant program to help law enforcement find, investigate and prosecute internet predators who target children.

House Bill 1098 would establish the Investigation and Prosecution of Internet Crimes Against Children Program within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The program creates a state-level funding structure to pay for law enforcement task forces made up of state and local prosecutors dedicated to investigating and prosecuting online crimes against minors; supplement federal funding for task forces combating child sexual exploitation online; and train task force members on the latest techniques for detecting, investigating and prosecuting these crimes.The state task forces would work alongside the existing federal Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program, which funds 61 task forces nationally. Currently, Pennsylvania has just one federally funded ICAC task force. Alicia’s Law creates the infrastructure to expand that capacity using state resources. That’s important because Brown’s WRATH initiative also aims to work in partnership with other law enforcement agencies across the Commonwealth and is formally associated with ICAC. Expanding state resources can only be beneficial to Warren County.

The bill passed the house unanimously. In our opinion it should receive the same overwhelming approval in the state Senate and a quick signature from Gov. Josh Shapiro.