LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A new movie revisiting the era of Chris Hansen and “To Catch a Predator” is putting online child predator investigations back in the spotlight, as a specialized team led by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police works year-round to identify people using technology to sexually exploit children.
The film “Primetime,” released in theaters Sept. 25, stars Robert Pattinson as journalist Chris Hansen and revisits the era of NBC’s “To Catch a Predator,” which followed sting operations targeting adults who believed they were communicating online with minors for sex.
Here in Nevada, Lt. David Walker commands the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, or ICAC.
“We are very busy,” Walker said during a sit-down interview with News 3’s Cristen Drummond.
Nevada’s task force is part of a U.S. Department of Justice program consisting of 61 ICAC task forces nationwide. Walker said roughly 20 personnel work locally, including five Metro detectives and investigators from federal and other local agencies.
“We target pedophiles online, those that would seek or that have a sexual interest in children,” Walker said. “Then we have a very, I would say, our busiest avenue is our reactive investigations, which come from cyber tips.”
Walker said Nevada ICAC received 11,410 cyber tips in 2025, up from roughly 7,000 in 2024.
He attributed much of that increase to expanded federal reporting requirements for internet service providers and online platforms. Walker said many tips are routed through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which acts as a national clearinghouse before sending information to the appropriate ICAC task force.
The increase in tips does not necessarily indicate a comparable increase in crimes, Walker cautioned. He said changes in reporting requirements and improvements in technology have increased the ability to identify and report potential exploitation.
Investigators triage incoming tips to determine which require additional investigation.
“It’s a challenge for sure,” Walker said. “We try to keep essentially current, up to date on the cyber tips, so that they’re not backlogged and we’re not missing any. The ones that rise to the level of additional investigation are assigned to a detective, and we run them down.”
Not every tip provides enough information to identify a suspect or establish a crime. Walker said the task force makes hundreds of arrests annually through its different investigations, though he could not provide an exact number.
Investigators go undercover online
In addition to responding to cyber tips, ICAC conducts proactive investigations.
Walker said undercover officers operate across online platforms where they look for people attempting to sexually exploit children.
“If you can think of one, we’re probably operating on them,” Walker said. “We are chatting. We are in groups. We are in file sharing platforms.”
Some investigations can lead to an arranged meeting between a suspect and someone the suspect believes is a juvenile. However, Walker said what may appear simple from the outside requires significantly more investigative work behind the scenes.
“There’s a lot of nuance to these investigations,” Walker said. “It seems on the outside relatively simple, like, oh, you talk to your target, you get them to meet you, and then bam — like you just snatch them. There’s a whole lot more that goes behind the scenes.”
Walker declined to discuss specific investigative tactics but said detectives take meticulous steps to establish the identity of the person behind a computer or phone before making an arrest.
Metro warns against vigilante predator stings
The popularity of online videos showing civilian groups confronting suspected child predators has created another concern for investigators.
Walker said Nevada ICAC does not work with vigilante groups.
He cited safety concerns, potential mistaken identities and problems preserving evidence needed for prosecution. Civilian operations can also leave police attempting to reconstruct a case after a confrontation has already occurred.
“We’re trying to catch up on an investigation on the back end,” Walker said. “We don’t have the evidence we need. The charges get dropped, and it actually hinders our performance a little bit.”
Walker said he has not encountered that specific situation in Las Vegas during his time with the unit. He also warned that civilians conducting their own investigations could encounter child sexual abuse material, commonly referred to as CSAM. Possessing such material can itself carry criminal consequences.
“They’re going to get content that they do not want to see that you can’t unsee, and it is illegal just to possess that,” Walker said.
Walker said people who suspect a child is being sexually exploited should report the information rather than attempting to investigate or arrange a meeting themselves.
“I understand where you’re coming from. It’s admirable, but please leave it to law enforcement,” Walker said. “Report it to us early. Don’t try to work it. Don’t try to meet up with somebody. You’re putting your safety in jeopardy. You’re putting the investigation in jeopardy.”
Reports of suspected child exploitation can be made to law enforcement by calling Nevada ICAC at 702-953-0027 or through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline.
