”It is reassuring to know Alberta’s integrated law enforcement teams continue to have such success in keeping our children safe from those who would exploit them,” said Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security Fred Lindsay. “ALERT continues to do an excellent job of making Alberta communities safe and secure.”

Acting on information received form the Northern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in Dumfries, Virginia, about an Alberta resident suspected of distributing child pornography, the ALERT ICE unit launched an investigation in late November. During the investigation, thousands of images of child sexual abuse were found on the suspect’s computer and police were able to obtain a search warrant for the suspect’s residence.

With the assistance of the Camrose Police Service, the search warrant was executed on December 2. Steven Mackintosh, 33 years old of Camrose, Alberta, was arrested and charged with possession and making available child pornography.

“With today’s technology, child predators operate without regard for international borders,” said Sgt. Pat Waldorf, officer in charge of northern Alberta ICE. “That means that police from different jurisdictions must also work together. This case is a great example of cross border cooperation in the investigation of internet crimes against children.”

The northern Alberta ICE unit is an integrated police team made up of investigators from the Edmonton Police Service and the RCMP. ICE is part of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), an umbrella organization established by the Government of Alberta to bring together Alberta’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources to strategically tackle serious and organized crime.