The Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced the arrests of six people in Operation SAFE FALL.
During the operation, law enforcement focused on identifying and apprehending suspects engaged in downloading child pornography or using the Internet to commit crimes against children. The operation focused on suspects in the Fort Myers region over a three-month period from August through October.
Individuals were charged with crimes including possession of child pornography, solicitation of a child for sex and providing obscene material to a child.
Some of the suspects arrested during this operation included a professional athlete, former doctor, a foreign national and a pizza delivery driver.
“There is no greater priority than protecting our children. These arrests have made our communities safer for fall festivities, and serves as a reminder to those who prey on children that we are coming for you,” said FDLE Fort Myers Regional Operations Center Special Agent in Charge Shane Pollard.
As children are preparing for Halloween activities tomorrow night, law enforcement would like to provide information to families on ways to help protect children while they trick or treat. Please visit the following link to the Florida Sexual Offender Predator System. On the website, families can conduct a neighborhood search that will identify sexual offenders or sexual predators living within a one- to five-mile radius of an address. Additional links have been provided to review tips for keeping your children safe online.
https://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/sops/home.jsf
http://www.secureflorida.org
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MCICSearch/SafetyTips.asp
http://www.kidsmartz.org/
http://www.netsmartz.org
Also, families can download and use FDLE’s free mobile app from the App Store or the Google Play store. The app provides a number of public safety features, including the ability to search the Florida Sex Offender Registry, to see active AMBER and Missing Child Alerts, to search wanted persons and stolen vehicle information, and to submit anonymous tips about criminal activity.
