Maricopa County Attorney on prevention of online child exploitation

Maricopa County’s top prosecutor has announced an educational safety campaign for parents to help their children avoid sexual exploitation over the internet amid the state’s renewed focus on targeting child predators.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss her office’s prevention education and what she’s looking to do to make sure children remain safe online.

The new push to educate and help prevent exploitation comes after new state legislation. Senate Bill 1585, which Governor Katie Hobbs signed into law several weeks ago, modifies the definition of a dangerous crime against children to include acts committed against a person posing as a minor under the age of 15, such as an undercover police officer. House Bill 1678 updates state law to ensure that AI-generated and digitally altered images of child sexual abuse material can be appropriately prosecuted.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s office also launched “Report, Don’t Repost: Cyber Predators, Real Risks,” an online campaign marketed for parents and guardians about how children are often groomed through video games and social media platforms.

County Attorney Rachel Mitchell also commented on the lawsuit that Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap filed against the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

County Recorder Heap has garnered outside representation that was not appointed by County Attorney Mitchell. She shared what she believes will happen with the outside representation within this lawsuit.

“That’s certainly something that’s gonna have to be hashed out in court. I know that listening to the board of supervisors’ meeting the other day I think that that’s the position they’re taking with their litigation,” Mitchell said.