47abc
December 14, 2020
MARYLAND – Maryland State Police say there’s been an almost 67 percent increase in tips regarding online child sex exploitation cases this year compared to last year.
Police attribute the spike to the fact that both children and adults are spending more time online due to virtual learning and social distancing.
According to the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit, cyber tips concerning the potential sexual exploitation of children have increased considerably over the past year. Through December 7, state police have received 5,433 cyber tips. This compares to 3,248 such tips for all of 2019.
Prince George’s County has received the most cyber tips this year, with 1,036 being reported through November, compared to 525 over the same period in 2019. They are followed through the same period by Montgomery County with 862 (408 in 2019), Howard County with 727 (196 in 2019), Baltimore City with 712 (480 in 2019), Baltimore County with 668 (360) and A