Press Room

For Immediate Release December 15, 2006 Contact Paul Murphy: (801)538-1892 pmurphy@utah.gov

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EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT
TEEN GETS AWARD FOR TEACHING INTERNET INVESTIGATORS

 

Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is honoring a 15-year-old student for helping investigators catch predators on the Internet. Zach Loulias has been teaching members of the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force how teens act and talk online. Today the Attorney General is recognizing Zach's efforts with a plaque and by swearing him in as an honorary member of the ICAC Task Force.

"Zach is doing a great job helping us catch bad guys on the Internet," says Shurtleff. "He is making the online world a safer place for everyone his age."

The junior high school student teaches officers about teen language, current trends, popular music and places where young people are accessing new Internet sites.

"I had no idea the problem was this big," says Zach. "It's really quite concerning because my friends don't believe they are in danger. I worry that something bad will have to happen before they believe me."

Zach also teaches officers how to play online video games because they have become one of the new breeding grounds for child predators on the Internet. He sometimes plays the games for the officers so they can gain credibility for their gaming skills. "Not to be mean but the investigators really need to get with the times and learn how to play the games," Zach says apologetically.

However, the teenager does not communicate with child predators. He only acts as a consultant.

"Thanks to Zach, our undercover agents are able to appear, chat and act online more like real teenagers," says Ken Wallentine, Chief of Law Enforcement for the Attorney General's Office.

Zach began helping investigators during the summer and would like to work with them for a long time. "I am hoping that I can be a real detective one day."

The Utah Attorney General's Office oversees the Utah ICAC Task Force which includes investigators from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Utah Department of Public Safety, Utah Department of Corrections, Salt Lake City Police Department, Murray Police Department, West Jordan Police Department and the West Valley City Police Department. The task force is also affiliated with the Ada County Sheriff's Office, Idaho; Billings Police Department, Montana; Cache County Sheriff's Office, Duchesne County Sheriff's Office, Utah County Sheriff's Office and the Weber County Sheriff's Office.