Crimes Against Children in West Virginia

The State Police hoped to convince lawmakers to beef up its Crimes Against Children unit with a House Chamber presentation that showed that "roughly 1,000 computers in West Virginia have been storing or distributing child pornography," The Associated Press and others report.

Gov. Joe Manchin "wants the Legislature to include $800,000 in the budget being produced this session to add six new troopers to the State Police unit dedicated to investigating crimes against children," explains AP's Tom Breen. "Manchin made the request a centerpiece of his State of the State address last week."

The afternoon presentation included a video that "showed red dots on a map of the state indicating where computers are storing or sharing child pornography," the article said. "It also featured brief glimpses of photos recovered during investigations, with blurry images of injured children and a law enforcement official giving graphic descriptions of some material that’s been seized."

The Charleston Gazette, The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington, the Charleston Daily Mail, The Register-Herald of Beckley and MetroNews (with audio) also covered the presentation.