Eastern Idaho will get another investigator this summer to help combat sex crimes against children.

The 2019-2020 budget for the Attorney General’s office that lawmakers approved in late March contains $118,900 to hire another eastern Idaho-based investigator for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

“ICAC worked more than 60 cases in eastern Idaho last year alone,” Scott Graf, spokesman for Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, said in an email. “The new position will help address the constantly increasing volume of referrals our office receives.”

ICAC consists of 16 investigators from eight different law enforcement agencies throughout the state, Graf said. The majority are assigned to the Boise office, with two in northern Idaho and one in eastern Idaho who help field cases in their respective regions. Locally the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office has an ICAC investigator now. Graf said the attorney general’s office is looking for a local agency to partner with to house the second investigator.

Graf said investigators who are affiliated with other police departments work out of their respective agencies but are paid by the state and work ICAC cases full time.

“These external unit affiliates work ICAC cases primarily within their own geographical region, although they have statewide authority and sometimes assist other ICAC unit investigators throughout the state,” he said.

Most of the budgeted cost, or $107,500, is for salary and benefits, and most of the remainder is one-time spending on software and other supplies.