In January, people reported more than 1,100 internet crimes involving Tennessee children. Each one went to Sergeant Scott Sheppard, who looks at about 35 cases a day.

“We’re only investigating the worst of the worst,” he said. “It’s just so much material that there’s no way we could ever investigate every one they send to us.”

He processes each tip and sends it to the appropriate affiliate agency. If it’s within KPD’s jurisdiction, investigator Phyllis Tonkin can help.

“We are the ones that will start working on that cyber tip to determine who it is that’s behind the keyboard,” she said. “I do this to be the voice for those children that have lost their innocence.”

In 2018, Tennessee authorities received an average of 282 tips per month. Now, they receive nearly four times as many.

“It is predatory. It is horrific,” Capt. Willis said. “It forever changes a child’s life in a negative way.”

The crimes vary, but one they’re seeing more of is sextortion, where people solicit inappropriate pictures of minors.

“It is traded. It is passed around. And then those children are often influenced, coerced or pressured to send more images,” Capt. Willis said.

Still, the most common issue they see is kids sharing photos with each other.

“One in six children surveyed between the ages of 9 and 17 have shared a nude image on a platform,” Capt. Willis said. “That’s disturbing. That’s a lot of kids that are doing this.”

He said that’s where parents can step in.

“What we are trying to do is save kids from that,” he said. “It takes proactive, conscious intervention on the part of parents and we’re pleading that they do that.” FULL STORY HERE