When I was first introduced to Agent Bob, he asked me why I was here and what I was interested in. As soon as he discovered that I was considering doing my Senior Seminar project on child exploitation, he launched into a lengthy discussion of various studies I should look into, which agencies would make excellent career options, and then declared that he was going to set up some tours and interviews for me. I was blown away. Once again, I was completely amazed by how willing everyone in my agency was to go out of their way to help me.
The next week, I received an email from Agent Bob explaining that a tour had been arranged for all of the interns on my floor to visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. I immediately went online and began researching the organization, and lost myself in different studies and publications NCMEC produced on behavioral analysis of child molesters, various laws and statutes regarding internet child pornography, and their efforts to help find missing and runaway children. I was extremely excited to learn more about the incredible endeavors NCMEC was making in this field that I care so passionately about.
The day of the tour began by Agent Bob pulling me out of my training for a working lunch, where the other three interns and I scarfed down Subway sandwiches while Agent Bob presented a lecture on Operation Google Hello (FASCINATING STUFF! But that’s enough information for a completely different entry…). After his official lecture, he continued to converse with us as we left the office and made our way to the metro station.
His “uncut and uncensored” talk was more impactful and insightful than his official speech earlier. He told us how it is difficult working in the Child Exploitation Unit, and that not everyone was cut out for it. He shared that his wife told him that he “was dead inside,” meaning that he has become cold and jaded. Working on child exploitation cases can’t not affect you. When Agent Bob was a task leader back in Seattle, he used to have new agents on the squad go home after their first day and make a list of everything they normally do in a typical month. His example was: “I go home every night and drink a glass of wine, run a mile every day, smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, have sex with my wife twice a week, and hang out with my buddies at the sports bar at least once a month.” After about six months, he said, he has his new team members go back to their original list. “You’ll find that they have completely changed. They drink a bottle of wine a night, have a pot belly when they used to be trim and athletic, they smoke two packs a day, haven’t had sex with their wife in three months, and haven’t seen or heard from their buddies for even longer than that. This job…it gets to you. You’ve got to be careful that you don’t close yourself off from the people and things you love. You have to get help when you need it. Otherwise you just get f***ed up.”
Agent Bob then explained how some agencies do an awful job taking care of their own in this respect. Looking at images of children being abused all day can take a toll on you emotionally and physically, and some agencies do not make it a regular practice to encourage or require counseling services to their agents. He told us to specifically ask about that at NCMEC, an organization that he claims is really good at protecting the mental well-being of their employees.
When we arrived at the NCMEC building, we were greeted by a bubbly, effervescent woman who took us on a tour of the facilities. She was an analyst on the Exploitation team, and was on the Child Pornography task force (CP). As she walked us around each of the floors, and explained NCMEC’s various teams and what they do, I was so encouraged. Here was a young woman, lively and happy despite the terrible things she witnessed on a daily basis because of her job. It gave me hope that I could still work on the issue of child exploitation without becoming “dead inside,” like Agent Bob.
The most fascinating aspect of the tour was the CP team’s work. All child pornography images are sent to NCMEC to be put on file and to be analyzed. Since NCMEC is a non-governmental organization, they are able to cut through some of the bureaucratic red tape and better assist law enforcement officials working on CP cases. Their analysts inspect every image of child porn and compare the victim to known victims. If it is a face that they have seen before, that is actually a good thing. It means that the child is on file, and most likely has already been found and removed from the abuse situation. If it is a new face, however, that means trouble. It means that there is a new victim that still needs to be identified, rescued, and the perpetrator apprehended. This is what was truly interesting to me:
When a new image of child porn comes along, the CP team inspects the image in detail. They have to ignore the actually victim, and focus solely on their surroundings. What is in the background of the photo? Tacky hotel curtains- great! That gives them something to go on. They can then look into what companies manufacture those cheesey hotel curtains. Only four curtain companies market to hotel chains. Of those four, only two of them sell that particular brand of curtains, and only one of those sell that specific pattern. In fact, that company only sells those particular colored patterned curtains to a particular hotel chain in a certain state in the Pacific Northwest. When agents take that photo into those hotels, one by one, eventually they will find a hotel manager who says, “Yes! I know that room! That photograph is in room 106.” Agents can then look over the hotel records to every person who has rented room 106, and eventually, they will nab the perpetrator who abused the victim in the image. It is detective work that leads up to the arrest of the bad guy who hurts innocent children. I became so excited… I could totally see myself doing something like this!
The lady who gave us our tour told us that at NCMEC, they were required to consult with a therapist to talk about what they see, and to evaluate how they handle the atrocious images. She encouraged us that, if we ever find ourselves working in a child exploitation unit, to find a support group to talk to and be lifted up by. She says that it is crucial to have this group of people to encourage and cry with you, and to know that you aren’t alone. Without it, she says, you can just plain go crazy.
So my tour of NCMEC was quite an adventure. Not only did I narrow down just a little bit what I think I want to do with my life, I also discovered an inside look into the dark side of the business. It has definitely given me something to think about. But all in all, I had a wonderful time and am so thankful for this opportunity!
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