MIAMI, OK.--- Miami Police Chief, George Haralson says the Miami Police Department investigates about 24 internet sex crimes against children every year.
"All of the child pornography now is actually sent via internet. It's sent between collectors and downloaded," says George Haralson, Miami Police Chief.
The Miami Police Department Internet Crime Investigator often comes across cases where child predators were outside of Miami.
"Jurisdiction of the Miami Police Officers and the detective who works these cases stops at the city limits," says Haralson.
The detective would then pass the information to the corresponding agency, but Haralson says some lack the resources to follow these types of cases.
"Then that particular case goes nowhere," says Haralson.
Now, thanks to a new state law, Miami Police can handle cases all across Northeast Oklahoma to help catch more predators. Now, a Miami Police Department Investigator has the ability to investigate these cases as an OSBI agent.
"He can literally call OSBI and say, I'm working this case, this person is at this location in this county," says Haralson.
The partnership comes after OSBI had to make some cutbacks.
"They're limited in their man power, and what they've been able to do with this new statute is, they've gained additional human resources to conduct this type of investigations," says Haralson.
Chief Haralson says partnering up with OSBI will allow them to arrest and charge predators faster. The Miami Police Department will begin working with OSBI in January when the state agency installs new software in their computers.
