The Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is a multi-agency coalition of local, state, and federal investigators, forensic analysts, and prosecutors working to identify, rescue, and protect child victims of online exploitation — and to bring their offenders to justice.
If you suspect child sexual exploitation, online enticement, or illegal content, report it immediately to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Tips are reviewed 24/7 and routed directly to law enforcement.
Get community alerts, public safety announcements, and task force updates from the official Houston Metro ICAC page.
Internet crimes against children do not respect jurisdictional lines. Neither do we. The Houston Metro ICAC Task Force unites investigators, prosecutors, and digital-forensic specialists from more than forty agencies across the Greater Houston area — building a single, coordinated response to online child exploitation.
The Task Force operates under the U.S. Department of Justice's Internet Crimes Against Children program — a national network of sixty-one coordinated task forces established by the Child Protection Act of 1998 and administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Our jurisdiction covers the Greater Houston metropolitan area, including Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Galveston, Brazoria, Liberty, and Chambers Counties. Cases that cross county or state lines are jointly investigated with the appropriate partnering ICAC task force.
HPD-ICAC investigators and Task Force affiliated officers conduct criminal investigations into:
Online enticement of a minor for sexual purposes · Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) possession, distribution, and production · Sextortion and coercion · Solicitation through social media, gaming platforms, and messaging applications · Trafficking of minors through online platforms.
Every investigation begins with the child. The Task Force works alongside child advocacy centers, medical professionals, and trauma-informed interviewers to ensure that rescue, support, and long-term care are placed ahead of — and run parallel to — the criminal prosecution of offenders.
Six operational pillars — each one a discipline in its own right, coordinated through a single command structure so that no agency works a major case alone.
Undercover online operations, suspect targeting, search warrant execution, and multi-jurisdictional case development for technology-facilitated crimes against children.
Certified forensic examination of computers, mobile devices, cloud accounts, and storage media. Chain-of-custody handling for federal and state prosecution.
Coordination with the Children's Assessment Center, Texas DFPS, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for victim identification, rescue, and sustained support.
Real-time review and prioritization of NCMEC CyberTips assigned to the Houston jurisdiction. Tips are triaged for imminent-threat indicators before assignment.
Presentations for parents, educators, and students on internet safety, social media risk, gaming-platform enticement, and how to report concerning online contact.
Direct coordination with the Harris County District Attorney's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas on charging and prosecution.
A curated index of the agencies, hotlines, and educational materials that the Houston Metro ICAC Task Force relies on every day. Save these. Share them with the parents, teachers, and children in your life.
A report is not an accusation. It is a request for trained professionals to look. Every tip is reviewed by a human investigator before any action is taken.
File a CyberTip with NCMEC, call HPD-ICAC directly, or — for an active emergency — dial 911. Anonymous reports are accepted and reviewed with the same priority.
Tips are reviewed for imminent-threat indicators. Reports involving a child in active danger are routed immediately to field investigators. All others are queued by severity and jurisdiction.
A case is opened, forensic examination is conducted on relevant devices and accounts, and suspect identification work begins. Multi-jurisdictional cases are coordinated with the appropriate partner task force.
Victims are connected with the Children's Assessment Center, family advocacy services, and long-term support. Prosecution is pursued in coordination with the Harris County DA or the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The investigators assigned to the Houston Metro ICAC Task Force are sworn peace officers who have completed specialized training in digital forensics, undercover online operations, and trauma-informed victim interviewing. When a tip comes in, it is reviewed by a human investigator—not an algorithm.
Do not pause to fill out a form. Do not message first. If a child is being abused, is meeting a suspect in person, or is about to be transported — call now.