Boone County has a secret weapon against child exploitation

Maria Flora, The Lebanon Reporter, Ind.
·2 min read
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May 2—Boone County police have a resource that's unavailable to many departments — a mobile forensic vehicle.

The Boone County Sheriff's Department received the former ambulance-turned-police-vehicle last year, and it's been invaluable for investigations into internet abuse against children.

The truck has a soft interview room that keeps suspects out of the spotlight and in a private environment when speaking with investigators at a suspected crime scene.

"It's less intimidating for them and takes some of the pressure off of the person you're talking too," Boone County Sheriff's Detective Morganne Carpenter said. Having an interview room on site eliminates the need for uniformed officers to escort a suspect to the nearest police station and lets detectives work faster.

The truck also has forensic equipment to gather data from electronic devices. Time is especially crucial in cases that involve electronic files, as suspects can quickly delete information when they see police coming.

"We might lose valuable information," Carpenter said. "So having that truck lets us download that data from those devices to review and make safe."

Just last week, the county shared the forensics truck with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office for a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation that resulted in the arrest of a Waynetown man.

Connor Emerson was arrested on two level 4 felony counts of child exploitation after police served a warrant, seized several electronic devices, and found thousands of images, according to a MCSO news statement.

The FBI had notified the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office that someone was disseminating a large amount of child abuse materials in Waynetown. The Montgomery County Internet Crimes Against Children, ICAC, Task Force then sought help from the Boone County Child Abuse and Sexual Exploitation, CASE, Task Force, which took the mobile unit to Waynetown. And investigators downloaded materials on the spot.

The truck is most often used in child exploitation cases but is available to any Boone County or neighboring police agency that may need a soft interview room or electronic forensics capabilities in the field, Carpenter said.

Mobile forensics vehicles are few and far between, and Boone County Sheriff Tony Harris is happy to share.

"When we partner with others, they partner with us, which is a win for everyone," Harris said.