The Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office child predator division received 167 cyber tips last year from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, county DA Sam Sanguedolce told county council during his annual presentation last week.
These investigations resulted in 32 adults arrested for child exploitation, he said.
Thirteen children were rescued as a result, he said.
“Among the rescued victims, five of those children were live victims. Our detectives went on an investigation of internet child pornography and uncovered children present at the residence that were being abused,” Sanguedolce said.
As part of these probes, the office executed 33 search warrants.
Spike, a Labrador Retriever trained in electronic detection, was brought in a dozen times, the DA said. The canine can find tiny, hidden data storage devices containing child pornography, including ones the size of a thumbnail that can hold thousands of photographs and videos, he said.
Spike was provided to the office through nonprofit funding due several years ago due to its proactive program targeting crimes against children.
“There are only I think five electronic detection dogs in the entire United States, and we are lucky enough to have one of them,” Sanguedolce said.
In another grim statistic involving children, Sanguedolce said his office referred 473 child abuse — physical, mental and/or sexual — to the Child Advocacy Center last year.
An independent organization solely reliant on donations and grants, the center allows young crime victims to undergo one videotaped forensic interview so they aren’t subjected to repeated, traumatizing inquiries about their abuse.
By comparison, there were 457 referrals to the center the previous year, in 2021, he said.
“I hope it’s not because more cases are happening, but rather because we’re getting more skilled at uncovering cases and getting the referrals over to the Child Advocacy Center,” he said.
Dormant during the COVID-19 pandemic, the office’s youth aid panel program has been reactivated under the watch of a new full-time coordinator, Sanguedolce said.
These 11 panels of citizen volunteers develop contracts with first-time, nonviolent juvenile offenders that may allow them an opportunity for a second chance so they don’t carry a criminal record.
Nearly every panel is filled, prompting discussions about starting an additional panel, the DA said, thanking volunteers.
Detectives
County detectives are “playing a larger role” in more cases throughout the county, largely because municipalities are increasingly struggling to hire officers and fill voids left by the retirement of experienced officers, he said.
“We’ve been called to assist in many areas, not just homicides anymore,” he said.
With grant funding currently in the works, Sanguedolce said he is looking to add two more child abuse detectives and two opioid trafficking detectives.
Sanguedolce also said he is working with county Drug and Alcohol Administrator Ryan Hogan on a proposal to open a central processing center with a portion of the county’s $4 million in compensation from litigation against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors.
The county carried over $2.6 million in opioid settlement receipts from 2022 and has a 2023 grant of $1.4 million.
This center would create one location to fingerprint and process those arrested by police, he said.
Prosecutors
The DA’s Office prosecuted 61 trials in 2022, which is up 30% from the prior year, he said.
Homicide charges were filed against 22 people last year, Sanguedolce said, noting some stemmed from deaths that occurred before 2022.
He thanked council for approving a new collective bargaining agreement with unionized assistant district attorneys and public defenders.
“We are beginning to receive a few applications for full-time attorneys. I’m hoping that’s due to the new starting salary,” Sanguedolce said.
The office has four full-time ADA vacancies and one part-time opening, although another part-timer will be leaving in two months, he said.
For full-timers, the entry salary is now $60,500 and will rise $500 annually to $61,000 in 2024, $61,500 in 2025 and $62,000 in 2026. The previous starting salary was $51,083 in the contract that expired the end of 2022.
Part-time assistant district attorneys/public defenders start at $39,885 this year, compared to the previous $34,165. The starting salary for part-timers also will rise $500 annually to $40,385 in 2024, $40,885 in 2025 and $41,385 in 2026.
Touching on finances, Sanguedolce said office expenditures were just under $3.7 million last year, which was $143,000 under budget.
“In conclusion, I want to say how thankful I am to come in under budget and still effectively accomplish what we had planned for the year,” he told council. “I’m hoping 2023 sees resolution of some personnel shortages we’ve seen.”