Are there more child porn collectors in El Paso or are the police and FBI just getting better at catching them?

Here's the problem law enforcement usually runs into: The child porn collectors stay on the cutting edge of technology so they won't get caught and it takes a while for police to catch up with that technology. By the time they do, the criminals have already gone to the next level of technology.

An undercover detective with the El Paso Police Department spoke with KFOX14 about the problem. He did not want his identity revealed.

"The child porn collector can be anybody from any walk of life,” the detective said. “Any age, any background. Typically we've seen the whole spectrum here in El Paso."

The detective said that the EPPD has a joint task force with the FBI. So far this year, that task force has arrested 23 child pornography collectors. 16 of those have state charges filed and seven of them have federal charges filed against them.

"There are incidents out there where somebody accidently discovers child pornography,” the detective said. “Those are not the investigations we handle. We are investigating people that are out there proactively looking for it."

So what can you do to protect your child? The detective offers three tips:

1)     Talk to your child about child pornography before a crime occurs.

2)     Keep an eye on what your child is doing on their computer.

3)     Be aware that a lot of communication initiates on cell phones.

“You know your child better than anybody else,” the detective said. “If something's not right or if you have that gut feeling, report it.”