Needed Help For Those Who Investigate Pedophiles

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In covering the shocking arrest of South Carolina state representative RJ May III last week, our media outlet was compelled to read through graphic descriptions of the horrific details of the despicable child sex abuse material (a.k.a. “CSAM” or “child pornography”) involved in his case.

Documented in harrowing, excruciating detail in a federal motion which will keep May in federal custody while the charges against him are resolved, the descriptions of the allegations against him were beyond abhorrent. Worse than vile. Darker than depraved.

They were pure evil.

In fact, many who downloaded the motion (.pdf) told us they couldn’t make it through the document.

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While our coverage – including our latest Week in Review episode – spared our audience the graphic details federal prosecutors included in their motion and discussed in open court, there are some among us who did not have the luxury of skipping over the sinister revelations regarding May’s alleged conduct. In fact, there are those at the local, state and federal level who must not only read about these brutal crimes against children – but must also view (and review) these pestiferous materials.

Why? Because doing so is their job as investigators and prosecutors…

On several occasions during last week’s coverage of May’s arrest, we thought of those whose duty it is to prosecute crimes against children – and how difficult it must be for them to deal on a daily basis with the very worst depravity of which human beings are capable.

This week, thankfully, those brave investigators and prosecutors got some help – namely a $100,000 grant from the Attorney General Alliance (AGA) to support the mental health of the S.C. attorney general’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force.

And the child victims they assist…

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“Our ICAC team works tirelessly to investigate and prosecute the predators who exploit our children online,” S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson noted. “That means our people are constantly exposed to disturbing child sexual abuse material as they catalog the photos and videos as evidence and look for victims who might still be being abused. Dealing with such traumatic content takes a toll on their mental and emotional health, so we’re grateful for this grant that will allow us to put several new mental health tools in place, which will also help us when we deal with victims.”

According to Wilson, “reviewing CSAM and other unthinkable details to get justice comes with a heavy mental and emotional toll.”

“This funding will provide critical mental health resources for our team, which in turn helps retention, and will help children begin to heal from unimaginable trauma,” he added. “The fight to protect children is multifaceted, and I’m in it for the long haul.”

Count on FITSNews to keep our audience apprised of all pertinent developments in the prosecution of RJ May III. Also, count on us to draw attention to those fighting to hold producers and peddlers of CSAM (a.k.a. child porn) accountable for their actions. These brave investigators, prosecutors and victims’ advocates deserve our full support as they wade through the very worst of what the world is capable of – hoping to protect and heal the most vulnerable among us.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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