Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary

The Maine Department of Public Safety received a $369,364 Cooperative Agreement from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) under the Missing Children's Assistance program (CFDA 16.543), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. The award funds the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit Special Victims Unit (SVU), the northernmost Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in the continental United States, which serves the entire state of Maine and functions as the portal for National Center for Missing and Exploited Children referrals statewide.

The funding supports enhanced investigative and operational capacity through staffing additions and technology modernization. Key deliverables include sustaining and expanding ICAC investigative and digital forensic capabilities; modernizing and maintaining technology infrastructure to process increasing volumes and complexity of digital evidence; providing advanced statewide training for law enforcement, analysts, and prosecutors; enhancing secure data storage capacity and mobile field operations; and strengthening operational response to artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material and emerging technology-based threats. These investments directly support the task force's core mission of preventing, interdicting, investigating, and prosecuting internet crimes against children involving technology-facilitated child exploitation.