Child pornography big problem in East Texas

By BRENDA ALLUMS

news@kilgorenewsherald.com

Mike Hyco’s philosophy is simple: “Once a pervert, always a pervert. Once a pedophile, always a pedophile.”

Hyco, a sergeant in the juvenile/cybercrime unit of the Longview Police Department, has no illusions the problem of sexual crimes against children will one day disappear.

He said child pornography is a “universal problem and as prevalent in East Texas as it is in downtown Dallas.”

The cyber cop said in previous times, the problem was a man dressed in a trench coat at the park or playground with candy.

“They had to have great communication skills in order to get the attention of a child and keep it from crying or running away,” Hyco said.

Today with the Internet, he said, the only skill needed is the ability to type.

“As long as these perverts, or if you prefer pedophiles, get gratification from child pornography, the problem will exist,” he said.

Hyco is a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which was established four-years ago with federal funding. The hub of the program is in Dallas and it serves five satellite sites throughout Texas. Longview is one of the satellite stations.

Hyco said the task force is comprised of members of local law enforcement agencies as well as officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety Special Crimes Task Force, FBI agents and Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents.

“We deal mostly with cases involving the possession, manufacture and distribution of child pornography,” Hyco said.

“However, we also handle cases involving solicitation for sex – adults conducting transactions to have sex with children.”

Hyco said pornography is the number one product or seller on the Internet. He said most child pornographic web sites include stories that “turn these guys on and a way to make contact in order to get pictures.”

He said there is no problem finding these photographs, it’s just a matter of finding another pedophile and trading, bartering or purchasing pictures.

“These pictures are sacred to them (the perps) and they are willing to give up a lot to feed their addiction,” he said.

Hyco said he has executed search warrants for computer equipment in a variety of places.

“I took equipment from a doctor’s home one time,” he said. “And another time, we went to this trailer. It was falling down, the floor was all-but gone, it was filthy, but the guy had a state-of-the art computer equipment and an Internet connection.”

He said he knows of instances where the prep had defaulted on loans, had outstanding bills, no food and couldn’t pay the rent but “he had his computer and his AOL account was paid up.”

“Pornography is not illegal,” he said. ”Pornography is not against the law. Sites like we’re talking about are comparable to junk mail and junk mail is not against the law.”

Hyco said pedophiles suffer from need-driven behavior. They are generally while males but that’s about all they have in common.

“They can range from 14 and 15 to 82,” Hyco said. “The economic level doesn’t matter either.”

The police sergeant said he’s talk with inmates who have admitted “this addiction” is worse than addiction to cocaine or alcohol.

“They have to have this (child pornography),” he said. “It’s an addiction to them.”

Because of this addiction, Hyco said the perps will sacrifice anything to get copies of pictures.

“A lot of people want it (child porn),” Hyco said. “As that increases, the demand and the price goes up.”

He said most obtain their photographs through the mail and not on-line.

“They value their collections,” he said. “Considering the size of the problem, there are that many pictures available and these people will go to great lengths to add to their collections.”

Right now Russia and Germany are known for photographing children in “lewd” manners.

“It’s (pornography – taking pictures of children) not against the law there,” Hyco said. “That’s what they’re dealing in – pictures of children and by that I mean anyone under the age of 18,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a case of the way the picture was taken and the impression it leaves.”

He said most pedophiles take pride in their collections even to the point of organizing the pictures by age and other indicators.

“I’ve been in some of the dirtiest houses but their files were in perfect order,” Hyco said. “Perverts need new pictures and they have networks for trading, buying and selling the pictures.”

Hyco and the task force stay busy.