South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today the state's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force arrested 48 suspected child sex offenders in South Carolina as part of Operation Broken Heart. "Internet predators continue to find new and innovative ways to prey upon our children and South Carolina is no exception," said Attorney General Alan Wilson. "We must continue to expand our efforts to not only investigate and prosecute these crimes, but educate parents and youth on how they can be more vigilant and safe using technology."

The three-month national operation was conducted during the months of March, April, and May and involved all 61 ICAC Task Forces, which is comprised of over 4,500 law enforcement agencies across the country. In total, over 2,300 arrests were made nationwide.

In addition to the arrests made in South Carolina, Task Force members also conducted 115 Internet safety presentations during this period reaching almost 18,000 people.

The state's ICAC Task Force began in 1998 as one of the original ten agencies awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Task Force expanded in 2005 to partner with local, county, state and federal agencies. The Task Force has grown now to include 110 agencies and has made over 1,000 arrests.

Additional information regarding today's national Operation Broken Heart release can be found here "https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/more-2300-suspected-online-child-sex-offenders-arrested-during-operation-broken-heart". Additional online safety resources can be found on the Attorney General's ICAC Task Force site, www.SCSafetyNet.com.