Rexburg law enforcement to hold news conference about threats to children being exposed to online sextortion
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REXBURG — Local law enforcement officials have announced a news conference focused on the growing threat to children regarding online sexual exploitation.
According to a news release from the Rexburg Police Department, along with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the news conference will be held on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Rexburg City Hall.
The topics will be the heightened threats to Idaho’s children and teens that often face online — including exploitation, grooming, sextortion and AI-generated sexual imagery.
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“These are not distant or hypothetical concerns — children are being significantly affected here in our own communities,” says the release.
Rexburg Police Chief Josh Rhodes, Madison County Sheriff Ron Ball, other regional sheriffs and police chiefs, along with Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) detectives, and other law-enforcement personnel will be in attendance at the news conference to deliver a “unified public-safety message and to speak to the media and, by extension, to the community about the evolving digital threats affecting children and families.”
The Upper Valley SAFE Initiative (UVSI) will also participate in the news conference as a community education and prevention partner.
Chief Rhodes is expected to make a statement addressing parental awareness, reporting concerns, agency collaboration, practical prevention education and the importance of preventing harm before exploitation escalates.
EastIdahoNews.com will be live-streaming the news conference on our website, YouTube and Facebook page.
The press conference will also preview a community awareness event scheduled for Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. at Madison Junior High School, featuring Korey Payne, the commander of Idaho’s ICAC Task Force.
That event will provide families with practical information about online exploitation, digital safety and emerging risks associated with artificial intelligence.