INTERCEPT TASK FORCE WELCOMES VISIT FROM ICAC PIONEERS AS FREDERICK INCREASES ITS RESOURCES TO PROTECT CHILDREN IN CYBERSPACE AND COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 31, 2026
INTERCEPT TASK FORCE WELCOMES VISIT FROM ICAC PIONEERS
AS FREDERICK INCREASES ITS RESOURCES TO PROTECT CHILDREN IN CYBERSPACE AND COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Frederick, MD – Members of the original ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Task Force (est. 1998, Maryland State Police Frederick Barrack) visited Frederick County’s INTERCEPT Task Force (Inter-agency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking), est. 2023. The Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Force, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice and Office for Victims of Crime, is a multi-disciplinary initiative designed to combat human trafficking through coordinated prevention, victim support, and prosecutorial strategies. The Frederick County ECM Task Force joins law enforcement, non-governmental organizations, and community partners in a united effort to eliminate human trafficking from the region.
The Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is a federally funded project designed to respond to and investigate complaints of online sexual child exploitation. The ICAC Task Force consists of law enforcement agencies from around the State and receives over 2,600 cyber tips annually.
Maryland State Police launched the initiative in 1998 and the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office established its ICAC Task Force in 1999, trying their first case in the same year. The first two counties in Maryland to establish ICAC were Frederick and Carroll and Frederick’s ICAC was one of the first 20 ICACs in the nation. MSP asked Charlie Smith to pioneer and lead the ICAC Task Force in Frederick to include: MSP Lt Barry Lease, MSP Sgt Rob Smolick, MSP CPl Dave Brauning, FCSO DFC Mike Sabol, CCSO DFC Brad Brown, U.S. Customs Gus Aquino, and U.S. Postal Inspector Keith Hayden. Lt. Barry Lease, a computer crimes investigator, acquired the OJJDP Grant in 1999 to establish the ICAC Task Force.
State’s Attorney Charlie Smith said, “In the early days, we recognized that successful investigations would rise or fall on prosecutorial understanding of digital evidence. Frederick County took the lead on developing search warrant templates for computers, establishing protocols for handling electronic evidence, and educating other prosecutors on emerging issues like IP tracing and file recovery.
People were using AOL chat rooms and peer-to-peer file sharing to commit crimes against children. Investigators—many without prior cyber experience—had to quickly learn digital forensics, undercover online operations, and the mechanics of internet communication. Limited technology and slow forensic tools created significant backlogs, while legal standards for digital searches were still unsettled.
Despite these obstacles, ICAC task force members adapted and we actually successfully tried Maryland’s first Internet Child Exploitation case here in Frederick, convicting two men of abusing 5 and 7 year old girls through the early internet. We had successful partnerships with National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), Customs (ICE) and FBI Innocent Images. These early challenges and partnerships ultimately shaped a more sophisticated, proactive investigative model that remains in place today.”
ICAC’s MISSION: In order for children to thrive in today’s world and to compete in tomorrow’s workplace, they must be able to safely play, learn and grow in cyberspace. Challenges exist, however, the work of ICAC is a vital step in protecting children in the information age. The internet places ongoing demands on forensic resources as a result of daily software and device updates. Predators attempt to stay ahead of law enforcement, however, through the collaboration of federal, state and local task forces such as ICAC, detectives stay current on investigative techniques, evidence collection, prevention efforts and public awareness. In addition to focusing on the removal of offenders, the participating agencies engaged in community outreach efforts to educate parents and guardians about the signs of solicitation and the importance of open communication with children regarding online safety. Law enforcement encourages anyone with information related to the solicitation or exploitation of minors to contact their local authorities. This collaborative model creates a safer environment for our children and hold offenders accountable for their actions.
Frederick County’s INTERCEPT Task Force consists of The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, Frederick Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office who partner with Operation Light Shine, a nonprofit that has provided private grant funding for proactive investigations, technology, and forensic software to help protect and rescue children and trafficking victims.
Press Contact:
Jacqueline Rottmann
Court Media Relations Officer
301-600-2972
100 West Patrick Street
Frederick, Maryland 21701
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