Governor Walker Signs Legislation to Protect Wisconsin’s Children Against Internet Crimes
“Alicia’s Law” gives hope to victims and works to prevent future victims
Waukesha – Governor Scott Walker signed Assembly Bill 630 and Senate Bill 546 into law today at the Waukesha County Courthouse.
Senate Bill 546, known as “Alicia’s Law,” is named after the 13-year-old who was rescued by a specialized law enforcement cyber unit who tracked down her location via online images.
Authored by Senator Van Wanggaard (R – Racine) and Representative Joel Kleefisch (R – Oconomowoc), the legislation, now Act 369, seeks to decrease the amount of time it takes to track down perpetrators of internet sex crimes against children. A dedicated fund is established that will go directly toward combating Internet crimes against children and help law enforcement more effectively track and find innocent victims.
“Many of the crimes against our children are internet crimes, which are sometimes harder to detect and prosecute,” Governor Walker said. “Senate Bill 546 gives our law enforcement officers more effective ways to combat internet crimes against children and rescue these victims from further abuse or harm. Assembly Bill 630 also protects our children by closing a loophole and clearly defining what kinds of videos and photos are acceptable to take of children without their consent.”
Assembly Bill 630, authored by Representative John Jagler (R – Watertown) and Senator Luther Olsen (R – Ripon), now Act 370, protects the innocent pictures taken by parents of their children while making sure inappropriate pictures or videos taken for a sexual nature is a Class 1 felony.
“Cyber crimes are growing and we need to try and be a step ahead of the criminals to protect our children from exploitation,” added Walker.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
