Yes.

Artificial intelligence based images are illegal in Virginia.

Any picture, any photograph, any video, any sculpture, motion picture, film, or digital image at all of a child that is in a state of nudity or any sexual conduct is illegal in Virginia.

And the faces that didn't they don't have to be real.

They don't have to be a real person for it to be illegal.

Any image that has a likeness of under 18 that's nude or in some type of sexual activity is illegal.

Okay.

What role does digital evidence play in securing a conviction?

Digital evidence is critical in investigations with child exploitation for securing convictions as well as the prosecuting of it or the investigation in itself.

All of it revolves around the digital evidence.

Child exploitation is all done on electronic devices.

So it's all going to be digital evidence.

It provides concrete traceable evidence that allows us to identify the offenders and the victims and ensures that the cases are going to hold up in court.

So talk about Quincy and the role that he plays in assisting in these cases.

Quincy is our unit's electronic storage detection canine.

He is capable of locating any electronic device that is able to store and transmit data.

He is an invaluable tool for us.

We are able to use him on search warrants, and he can locate items that may have been overlooked as you know, a lot of the items able to hold data may be as small as the nail in your pinky.

So it's very easily overlooked by a human eye, but he ensures that we don't leave one item that's capable of storing child sexual abuse material when we leave a search warrant.

He is not a probable cause maker, like uh a narcotics canine.

Um, we have to already have consent or have a warrant to be where we're at to utilize Quincy.

He's definitely helped.

We have found things that have been overlooked after we've ran him after the search was completed.

We've had we have found things that were um hidden from view that if we searched long and hard enough, I'm sure that we would be able to find, but he's able to point it to us right away.

What can parents and the public do to help prevent these types of crimes?

Stopping online crimes against children uh requires vigilant parents, engaged communities, and public awareness of the type of crimes that we investigate.

Um by teaching children at a very very early age, internet safety at home and reporting any suspicious behavior that the public or guardians' parents may see that can help to stop uh child exploitation and keep our children safe.

Right, right.

Well, I appreciate it, detective, and this is such good information, and I think education is the key in these types of crimes.

It is thank you for joining me on the first episode of the special series on safeguarding the vulnerable.

It is important to remember that technology is evolving rapidly, and efforts to protect children require constant vigilance, public awareness, collaboration between law enforcement, tech companies, educators, and families.

Victim advocates play a crucial role in guiding victims through the legal system and connecting them with essential resources.

Victim Specialist Tori Hyman's discusses her role in supporting individuals affected by crime and trauma.

Thank you for joining me today, Tori.

I appreciate it.

Thank you for having me.

So can you tell us a little bit about your role as a victim's advocate?

Absolutely.

I'd love to.

So first, if I could take the title and the position itself, victim witness advocate, and break it up and focus on the word advocate.

So when you think about advocate, you think about someone who's speaking up for a cause.

You think about someone that is supporting a person or a cause and promoting that, what they believe in.

And so when you add victim and witness back to advocate, that's where we come into play.

And so the as a victim witness advocate, we are literally there helping the people that come in navigate through the legal system through the justice system.

We are helping them as they are dealing with you know emotional trauma.

We are providing resources and services to them that we may feel like is a fit for whatever it is that they're going through at that time, but we are there to help them through the process and to literally be like a support system to them.

So what are some of the challenges that victims may face?

Um I'd say some of the challenges include financial loss being one, um, lack of support.

There's often times where they where victims or witnesses come in and they're alone.

Um also one of the biggest things that I've seen is emotional trauma.

So when you think about emotional trauma, you think about anxiety, having anxiety from whatever the offense was, you think about depression.

You just you think about you know them going through this emotional almost kind of like a roller coaster.

So I guess a lot of the victims they find themselves in a situation, just you know, they're going through that, that something they haven't expected to happen to them.

Absolutely.

Probably one of the you know most unfortunate or worse times of their life during that moment.

So, how do you help victims build the trust back?

I think one of the biggest things is when they come in is just providing that space for them to just be.

And so when I say be, that means whatever emotion they may be going through, allowing them the opportunity to just feel that.

A lot of times they don't feel heard, so we allow them the opportunity to tell their story and to actually listen to them.

And we one of the biggest things because of everything that they've gone through, we try our best and make sure that we are up front and very you know frank with them as far as what to expect throughout the process.