For Immediate Release:
March 10, 2004
Senate Gives Unanimous Approval to Bill Aimed at Computer
Child Porn
The Senate voted 44-0 in support of a measure
requiring individuals who discover computer child pornography
to notify local police. Senator Glenn
Coffee is author of Senate Bill 1091, which is primarily
aimed at computer service technicians.
“This legislation is really no different from our
existing laws requiring photo lab employees to report it
to the police when they find pictures of child porn,”
explained Senator Coffee, R-OKC.
“The point is the very existence of these images is
evidence that a child has been abused. When these crimes
go unchecked and child pornographers continue to profit
from those who purchase and download such files, it only
fuels the need to find new victims,” said Coffee.
The Senator pointed to the pervasiveness of child porn,
noting the recent case of a Warr Acres man charged with
more than 80 counts related to child pornography. Police
said his computer contained thousands of sexually explicit
images of girls as young as 8 or 9.
“It is obvious child pornography is a growing crime,
due in large part to easy accessibility through the Internet.
This bill is important because child pornography is a crime
where there is always a victim,” said Coffee.
Senator Coffee said the Senate approved similar legislation
last year, but it did not make it out of the House.
“We made some changes this year to address some of
the concerns raised about people who may accidentally view
child porn as the result of spam or a link that’s
been sent to them directing the user to a child porn site,”
said Coffee. “We’ve made it clear that the images
be downloaded intentionally. That’s something computer
experts can easily determine.”
SB 1091 now moves to the House for further consideration.
For
more information contact:
Senate
Communications Division - (405) 521-5774
