“Looking at images of children and toddlers infants being sexually molested and seeing the suffering without being able to rescue them immediately, is the toughest part of this job.”

— Lt. Glenn Lang, supervisor, Maine State Police, Computer Crimes Unit.

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The Maine Computer Crimes Unit is probably one of the least known agencies in state government even though it’s one of the most important. This multi-jurisdictional police entity is designed primarily to assist other law enforcement agencies with the investigation and prosecution of computer crimes.

Computer crimes are those in which a computer is used as an instrument in committing crimes. What started out as primarily a tool for investigating white collar crimes soon turned into investigating illegal activities involving the downloading, disseminating and producing of child pornography. Rescuing children who are being sexually abused and arresting sexual predators is what the CCU does every day.

State Police Lt. Glenn  Lang, CCU supervisor, and his team, who work daily scouring evidence in an effort to rescue abused kids, will tell you that it’s bad enough to see videos and pictures of older children — 14- and 15 year-olds, being sexually assaulted — but seeing the most innocent of all babies and young children in those situations is extremely difficult. When the CCU team rescues a child after a tedious and exhausting investigation, their exhilaration is based on knowing that they saved an innocent child from continued torture and possible death.

Over the past three years the CCU has located and rescued 26 children who were being used prominently as sex stars as part of the ubiquitous child pornography industry around the world. Maine can take great pride in these dedicated heroes who quietly do their jobs without notice.

So, based on the importance of what these champions do, one would assume that providing adequate funding by the administration and Legislature would be a no-brainer. Amazingly, for years, securing operating funds for the CCU in state budgets has been a constant challenge.

Lt. Lang and his team have had to scramble to get federal grants and plead with state officials to get even miniscule funding as they struggle annually just to keep the doors open.

A logical question would be why on earth would such an obvious funding priority even be questionable when childrens’ lives are in the balance?

That trend started to change last year when the governor and Legislature allocated additional money to the CCU to help reduce an embarrassing backlog of evidence that, if available to prosecutors, would lead to the arrest of child molesters who were still on the street.

However, underfunding is still a serious problem and the Legislature needs to step up and make it a top priority this year. There is no excuse for turning our backs on these tormented children and none should be tolerated.

Remember this: there are children being sexually abused who can’t understand what is happening or why. Their fear and pain cries out to us for help and for, many of us, we don’t want to imagine how horrendous it must be for these innocent victims.

We really don’t want to think about these children because it cuts deep into our souls. But we must if we want to help.

Bill Diamond, former state senator and former Maine secretary of state, is the author of “The Evil and the Innocent.” He lives in Windham.

Mainely Girls, a Rockport-based nonprofit founded in 1996 to bring about positive change for all Maine girls, is leading an effort to raise $100,000 to purchase a mobile evidence van for the Computer Crimes Unit.

An evidence van would provide a vehicle for State Police to conduct onsite interviews of suspected child predators, process forensic examinations of evidence and administer polygraph tests.

Mary Orear, executive director of Mainely Girls, is organizing the fundraising effort. She can be reached at: mainelygirls2@gmail.com, or 230-0170

Bill Diamond, former state senator and former Maine secretary of state, will commit all profits from the sale of his book, “The Evil and the Innocent,” toward the purchase of the van. He can be reached at: diamondhollyd@aol.com