Dallas Children's Advocacy Center's Crimes Against Children Conference Offers Groundbreaking Information to Front Line Responders.

DALLAS -- Child Protective Agencies Bring Critical Issues to the Forefront at 18th Annual Event, Providing Tools and Resources to Identify, Investigate and Treat Child Abuse

The 18th Annual Crimes Against Children Conference (CACC), the defining global event that brings critical child abuse issues to the forefront, announces that its 2006 conference will be held August 21-24 at Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion.

Presented by Dallas Children's Advocacy Center and Dallas Police Department, CACC is the largest and most comprehensive event of its kind in the country, offering front-line government and non-profit first responders the knowledge and tools critical to maintaining a safe environment for children.

Building off of a highly successful 2005 event that included approximately 2,200 front-line professionals from around the world, CACC 2006 expects to continue its role as an industry trailblazer with one of the most well-respected child protection events offering groundbreaking education, technology and techniques used by organizations fighting for the rights and protection of children.

Corporate powerhouses Fox Interactive Media, Microsoft, Yahoo! and AOL have signed on to sponsor the event, which also includes national child protection agencies, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), ICAC Training & Technical Assistance Program, Texas Bar Foundation, RGK Foundation, Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas, Dallas Junior Forum, Junior League of Dallas, and The Andrea-Mennen Foundation (TAFF). During the conference, participants will have the opportunity to receive education on current information, innovative ideas and the most advanced intervention strategies used for combating the many and varied forms of crimes against children.

"It is very important for any child protective organization around the world to understand the tools, techniques and resources necessary to continue the fight against child abuse," said Bill Walsh, co-founder of Dallas Children's Advocacy Center and retired Lieutenant in the Youth and Family Support Division of the Dallas Police Department. "The Crimes Against Children's Conference is the nation's one event that delivers insight into the various forms of physical, mental and sexual abuse of children as well as ways in which we as a community can help prevent these harmful acts."

This year, CACC will feature about 180 interactive conference sessions filled with industry experts from some of the countries most forward-thinking and influential child protective agencies addressing the importance of identifying, investigating, intervening and treating child abuse cases. Participating agencies include the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), Federal Bureau of Investigation, Microsoft Child Safety Program, Office for Victims of Crimes and United States Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention -- Child Protective Division (OJJDP). Some of the sessions confirmed for this year's conference include:

--  My Space: Working With Law Enforcement -- This session will
        describe MySpace.com's properties and services and explore the
        types of information that law enforcement can obtain to assist
        in criminal investigations.

        Presented by: Hemanshu Nigam, Chief Security Officer of My
        Space and Fox Interactive Media

    --  Microsoft Xbox Forensics -- This session will present
        information specific to the Microsoft Xbox hardware platform
        and Xbox Live online game service. Issues will be presented
        with Xbox consoles being hacked and loaded with alternative
        operating systems.

        Presented by: Chris Ard & Jim Moeller

    --  Women Who Sexually Offend -- This presentation will explore an
        uncommon type of perpetrator and methods used by females who
        sexually abuse children.

        Presented by: Joe Sullivan, psychologist, clinical therapist
        and the director of Mentor Associates, a child protection,
        professional misconduct and sex crimes consultancy

    --  Mothers & Fathers Who Kill -- This session will compare and
        contrast parents who kill based on mental health history,
        criminal history, stressors, characteristics and motivation.

        Presented by: Kristen Beyer, Social Behavioral Science
        Research Coordinator within the FBI's National Center for the
        Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC), and Shannon McAuliffe,
        Research Analyst for the FBI's Behavioral Research Group
        within the NCAVC

    --  Carlie Brucia Case Study -- This presentation will discuss the
        investigation, abduction and murder of the 11-year-old from a
        car wash in Florida that was caught on a surveillance camera.

        Presented by: Leo Martinez, a member of the FBI since 1988;
        Toby Davis, a 14-year veteran of the Sarasota County Sheriff's
        Office; and Chris Hallisey, a sergeant with the Sarasota
        County Sheriff's Office.

"Everyday we are subjected to another case involving the physical and emotional harm of children all across the country, and it is up to us as a community and as child protective organizations to end this cycle of abuse," Lynn Davis, President and CEO of Dallas Children's Advocacy Center. "DCAC is proud to present this conference that unites representatives from child protective agencies around the country whose common goal is the fight to prevent abuse and allow children to live and lead a normal life."

This year, CACC will introduce the Victim-Identification Lab, an identification program that allows participants of the conference to access child faces, suspect faces, background identifiers, and audio clues. Presented by National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the Office for Victims of Crimes and United State Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention -- and funded by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), the goal of the Lab is to give attendees the opportunity to identify children who may not be recognizable to the staff of NCMEC's Child Victim Identification Program (CVIP). Available throughout the conference the lab will feature:

--30 individual stations

--Real time message thread for each image

--Headsets to listen for audio and background clues

--Entry supervised by partnering law enforcement

--Instant access to CVIP resources

For additional information about the 18th Annual Crimes Against Children Conference please visit http://www.dcac.org or contact Dallas Children's Advocacy Center Community Education Director Sandra Johnson at [e-mail] -- 214-818-2638.

About Dallas Children's Advocacy Center

Founded in 1991, Dallas Children's Advocacy Center works to break the cycle of abuse through a team approach of agencies that coordinate the investigation, intervention, and treatment of child sexual and physical abuse. As the first stop for child victims of sexual and physical abuse, Dallas Children's Advocacy Center provides a safe, child-friendly environment where treatment is individualized to meet each child's emotional, psychological and developmental needs.