KENOSHA, Wis. — In a nondescript room inside the Kenosha Police Department, a specialized team of officers is waging a constant battle against one of society’s most disturbing threats: the online exploitation of children.

Since forming in late 2024, the Kenosha Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit has been working nonstop to identify and arrest individuals engaging in child exploitation—known in law enforcement circles as CSAM, but commonly referred to as child pornography. The term CSAM is important mentioned Brittni Bray. “It makes it more clear that children are being abused.” The team, composed of Lieutenant Joe Riesselmann, Detective Pete Deates, Officer Megan Hird, Officer Brittni Bray, Detective Ashley Dobbe, and Iris—a black Labrador trained to detect hidden electronic devices—has rapidly expanded from a one-man operation into a coordinated unit handling dozens of complex investigations each year. The Kenosha ICAC unit is a part of a larger program known as the Wisconsin ICAC. Kenosha is an affiliate agency.

Detective Ashley Dobbe was unavailable to speak with KCE this week, as she is currently in Africa on a mission trip supporting child victims of human trafficking. Her coworkers had nothing but praise for her dedication, both at home and abroad, describing her as compassionate, hardworking, and deeply committed to protecting vulnerable children.

Officer Brittni Bray told KCE, “These are the most egregious crimes committed against some of the most vulnerable members of our community. That’s why I chose this path in my law enforcement career.” Both Bray and Officer Megan Hird were selected for the ICAC unit from a large pool of applicants, chosen for their professionalism, investigative skill, and commitment to protecting children.

The unit, which operates as part of the Wisconsin ICAC Task Force, receives tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), local law enforcement, and even local community members. These tips are disturbing images or videos uploaded or shared online—sometimes anonymously, sometimes not.

“We get about five tips a month now,” said Deates, who handled ICAC cases solo from 2019 until the team was formalized. “It used to be one or two. Now we’ve already had 45 cases this year—and we’re not even through July.”

The group uses a mix of traditional investigative tactics and highly technical digital forensics to locate and arrest offenders. They execute search warrants, seize electronic devices, sift through massive troves of data, and, when needed, bring in Iris—a black Labrador trained to detect the scent of data storage devices like thumb drives and SD cards.

Iris: The Four-Legged Digital Detective

Iris isn’t just a mascot—she’s one of the most vital members of the ICAC team. Officially known as an Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9, Iris is specially trained to sniff out the chemical compounds found in electronic components like hard drives, USB sticks, micro SD cards, and cell phones.

“She’s on the top of her game,” said Deates, who is also Iris’s handler. “There’s been times where we cleared a room, thought we’d found everything, and then Iris goes in and finds a hidden SD card stuck behind a door frame or taped inside a drawer.”

In one recent case in a nearby County, officers spent hours clearing a suspect’s home. When Iris was finally brought in, she immediately located a micro SD card that had been overlooked. In another case, she detected a stash of devices hidden beneath a dresser—five micro SD cards concealed in a crevice that fell into a drawer during the search.

Iris has become such an effective tool that agencies across Wisconsin routinely request her assistance. She and Deates have traveled to all corners of the state and other states like Illinois and Indiana to support investigations. “There are only seven ESD dogs in the entire state,” said Riesselmann. “And most are concentrated in southeastern Wisconsin. So we help wherever we can.”

Part of the reason for that commitment, officers say, is to pay forward the assistance Kenosha received during the 2020 unrest, when dozens of outside agencies came to help.

Now 6 years old, Iris lives with Deates and his family and will retire with him when the time comes. “She’s part of the family,” he said. “And even after retirement, I’ll probably still hide thumb drives around the house so she can find them. She just loves the work.”

Iris was fully funded by Our Rescue (O.U.R.), a national nonprofit dedicated to combating child exploitation and sex trafficking. Our Rescue provides ESD dogs, training, equipment, and ongoing support to law enforcement agencies across the country. By covering the costs for Iris’s procurement, training, gear, and care, the organization ensured Kenosha’s ICAC unit could bring a cutting-edge canine tool to bear in the fight against CSAM.

Not Just Downloading—A Gateway to Abuse

Some community members, the officers said, don’t grasp the full danger posed by CSAM. “People think it’s a victimless crime because there’s no physical contact,” said Deates. “A large majority of these suspects have already or will eventually go ‘hands-on’.”

The demand drives the production. And Kenosha is not immune.

“Unfortunately, the United States has the highest demand for this stuff,” said Deates.

“And the people doing it often try to hide their tracks—using fake names, burner emails, and sometimes public Wi-Fi. But we almost always find them,” added Hird.

How Cases Are Built

Tips that come into the unit go through a triage process, with each officer taking the next case in line. If investigators confirm the presence of CSAM, they begin to build a case—often with search warrants for social media accounts, email addresses, and cloud storage services.

If an IP address points to a home, even if that person claims ignorance, police will obtain a search warrant and seize all digital devices for review—often with Iris’s assistance.

Most suspects are identified through advanced ICAC investigative techniques. “People make mistakes,” said Hird. “They think they’ve covered their tracks, but there’s always something.”

In nearly every case, officers spend days—sometimes weeks—combing through devices containing hundreds of thousands of images and videos.

“You can’t just stop when you find 10 files,” said Deates. “What if file number 300,000 is someone sexually assaulting a child? You have to look through everything.”

The creation of Kenosha’s ICAC unit began when Captain James Beller, who oversees the department’s Detective Bureau, approached Chief Pat Patton with the idea. Both men recognized the growing volume and complexity of internet crimes against children and saw the need for a dedicated team. The unit’s current members credit Beller for initiating the proposal and praised Chief Patton for supporting and approving the formation of the task force. Their vision ultimately transformed what had been a single-officer assignment into a full-fledged investigative team.

Building Trust With Prosecutors—and the Public

The ICAC team works closely with the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office, though cases often end in plea deals to spare juries from viewing graphic content. According to the officers, nearly every case they’ve submitted for prosecution since 2019 has resulted in charges.

While the team drafts its own search warrants for in-person raids, all digital warrants—such as for Facebook or Gmail—require an Assistant District Attorney’s sign-off.

“It’s kind of backwards,” said Deates. “You don’t need the DA’s approval to kick in a door, but you do to look at someone’s inbox.”

Still, the collaboration is strong. “We’ve had DAs come with us on warrants so they understand the scope of what we’re doing,” Hird added.

Emotional Toll and Commitment to the Work

Spending every day reviewing disturbing images of children being abused takes a psychological toll.

“I’d like to think it doesn’t affect my personal life,” said Deates, “but my wife would probably say otherwise.” Each member of the team meets regularly with a therapist and supports each other closely.

“It’s the most important work we do,” said Deates. “Drugs and guns are serious, but this… this affects kids for life.”

Educating, Not Arresting, Teen Sexting Cases

The team emphasized that not every case involves hardened predators. When two teenagers consensually exchange explicit images—something technically illegal—the unit leans toward education, not arrest.

“We talk to them, educate them, and move on. That’s not what these laws were written for,” said Deates.

A Unit Built for the Long Haul

While technology changes constantly, the ICAC team trains regularly to stay ahead of predators. From peer-to-peer file sharing to obscure chat apps, they’re familiar with how these offenders operate and where they hide evidence.

“It’s like a puzzle,” said Hird. “You get one piece—an email address, an IP hit, a username—and then you build from there.”

With the increasing workload, the unit says it’s fortunate to have a strong team culture and clear leadership. “I don’t micromanage,” said Riesselmann. “They know what they’re doing. I just make sure the machine keeps moving.”