Tom Barrett says European leaders worried about Biden's capacity long before election exit

From JSOnline:

Molly Beck

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON - Former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Tom Barrett said concerns among European leaders over former President Joe Biden's capacity to carry out the duties of U.S. President materialized a year before Biden ultimately ended his reelection bid.

Barrett, a former longtime mayor of Milwaukee who was appointed to the ambassadorship by Biden in 2022, said for the first time Sunday that he shared those concerns.

"There was a feeling that his heart was in the right place, that he wanted to maintain this strong relationship, but there was a lot of concern about whether, physically, he was up to the job," Barrett said in an interview with WISN-TV.

Barrett returned to Milwaukee last month after a three-year tenure as America's top diplomat in Luxembourg. 

Biden, 82, faced public calls to drop his bid for a second term in June after a disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump. During the debate, Biden's voice was hoarse and raspy as he stumbled over words. At one point, the former president appeared to lose his train of thought.

Barrett said he did not watch the debate because of his concerns over Biden's physical state but did not witness any stumbles in person.

"To this moment I haven't watched that debate because I just had concerns," Barrett said. "Now I'll say that the interactions that I had with him during my time as ambassador, which were few — but two or three — he was sharp as a tack."

"So, clearly, there was something that was going on there. I did not sense in the one-on-one interactions that there was an issue, but there may have been."

Barrett said his job was made easier once Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and was replaced with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

"In some ways it made it easier because that was off the table," Barrett said when asked if concerns among European leaders over Biden made his job as ambassador difficult. "And with Vice President Harris in the race, I think that there was hope and there was enthusiasm for her, quite honestly, in Europe, that she could win the race."

"There was always this fear with President Trump," Barrett said. "The fear was there, and it was not below the surface."

Barrett said last week in an appearance at the Rotary Club of Milwaukee that European leaders are concerned their relationships with the U.S. are "fraying" after the election of Trump.

Mary Spicuzza of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/24/tom-barrett-says-european-leaders-worried-about-joe-bidens-capacity/80016961007/

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How the Racine County Sheriff's Office investigates child pornography cases

From The Journal Times.com:

Annie Pulley

The Racine County Sheriff's Office seal as posted on a wall in its offices located at 717 Wisconsin Ave. in Racine. 

ANNIE PULLEY,

RACINE — Child pornography cases continue to make headlines, and the Racine County Sheriff's Office has made 13 such arrests in 2024.

"I want to get these people off the streets," said Anthony LaCombe, one of the RCSO's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigators. 

ANNIE PULLEY,

"There's definitely an uptick for the Racine County Sheriff's Office," RCSO Public Information Officer Lt. Michael Luell said. 

The increased number of arrests suggests multiple causes. The internet, social media and other digital channels makes the illegal material easier to access, and electronic service providers, such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft, are required to report suspicious activity.

The county is also funneling resources toward these cases, which has an effect on the number of arrests made. 

Law enforcement agencies across the county investigate child pornography cases. For many of these departments, however, the investigators assigned to these cases also are working other types of cases.

In the sheriff's office, an entire team is focused solely on the investigation of child pornography cases. 

RCSO's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is made up of two full-time investigators, Anthony LaCombe and Emil Ortiz, one computer analyst, Madeline Churches, and one electronics detection K-9, Stella.  

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has national, state and local operators. The goal of these task forces is to identify and prosecute those who make, distribute and view child sexual abuse material or child pornography. 

ANNIE PULLEY,

The group is one of about 312 state affiliates of Wisconsin's ICAC Task Force, which is administered by the state Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation. 

Often, investigations begin with a cyber tip from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC.

When Google, Snapchat or another provider flag activity related to the download or distribution of child pornography, they report the activity to NCMEC. The center then finds the IP address of the user, tracing it to the state of origin.

If the illegal activity occurred in Wisconsin, NCMEC would send the tip to the state DOJ. The DOJ's Division of Criminal Investigation then assigns the tip to the appropriate local jurisdiction.

This all has to happen before LaCombe and Ortiz can begin their investigation.

"That's a big process," LaCombe said. 

In 2023, NCMEC, a nonprofit, received 36.2 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation online, according to its website. Reports of online enticement increased by more than 300% between 2021 and 2023. 

"Every year," LaCombe said, "it is going up dramatically." 

Timeliness is often a factor of how quickly electronic service providers respond to subpoenas or warrants after LaCombe and Ortiz begin their investigation.

In order to search a user's Microsoft or Apple account for additional evidence, they need cooperation from the electronic service provider.

Google, they explained, can take between three and six months to respond to a warrant. Some companies, such as WhatsApp, are not based in the United States, which can further slow the process. 

After receiving access to a suspect's account or files, their analyst must sort through masses of content to determine what's evidence and what's irrelevant to the investigation. 

In some cases, a suspect might no longer be in the county. In many of these cases, the investigators will transfer their evidence and progress to the appropriate authority.

According to LaCombe, a case was transferred to the U.S. military because the suspect was actively deployed. 

LaCombe and Ortiz also manage a complex computer system in which several machines constantly scan the web for child sexual abuse material. There are about 400 million known images that NCMEC has previously flagged; this system will automatically flag activity that includes recycled imagery. 

One of several computers used by ICAC investigators Anthony LaCombe and Emil Ortiz to constantly scour the internet for recycled child pornography. 

ANNIE PULLEY,

Luell likened these investigations to a "space race."

The technology used to attain and distribute illegal material is constantly evolving, meaning that investigators' technology and approaches must also constantly evolve. 

Beyond having a strong command of their relevant computer systems, legal procedure and search and arrest tactics, these investigators must also be psychologically evaluated every six months due to the nature of their investigations, Luell said. 

"I don't know that there's people out there that could mentally handle a lot of the things that we see," Ortiz said. "We're not desensitized to stuff, but we have a job to do ... We do have compassion. We care about the community, care about serving and protecting." 

When it's time to execute a search warrant, K-9 Stella is essential.

According to Ortiz, people who view child pornography are often very adept at organizing and hiding the content. Investigators have even found SD cards hidden in fake coins.

Stella is an English Black Lab specially trained in electronics detection. She is an invaluable member of the Sheriff's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. 

ANNIE PULLEY,

Stella, a 2-year-old English black lab, is trained to detect a chemical present in the electronic devices routinely used to store child pornography. 

Stella also is a therapy dog.

According to LaCombe, Stella is a comfort to victims and to the entire task force. 

She takes "your mind off of stuff and kind of gives you a break," LaCombe said. 

Speaking on behalf of Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, Luell said that these children are "horrifically traumatized and sexually abused in the creation of child porn, but they're also revictimized when people upload, download and view this." 

As this strand of criminality receives more attention, the very vernacular is changing. Advocates and prosecutors have adopted the term child sexual abuse material versus child pornography, to reflect the underlying abuse behind every image. 

"We're able to protect kids, protect our community, give children justice," LaCombe said. "It's probably the most rewarding law enforcement job I've ever had."

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/how-rcso-investigates-child-pornography-cases/article_4a3726c0-921e-11ef-874f-030aa92c4c95.html

7 arrested in connection to child porn allegations so far in 2025

From The Journal Times.com:

Annie Pulley

RACINE — Seven Racine County residents have been charged with possessing child pornography so far this year.

A felony charge of possessing child pornography carries a fine of up to a $100,000, up to 25 years in prison, or both. The court also can impose a $500 surcharge for each image or copy of an image recovered.

Leroy Kolacinski of Racine, 64, faces 13 counts of the possession of child pornography and was arrested and charged Jan. 8.

The other individuals were charged between Feb. 6 and Feb. 21.

Dustin Heddings of Racine, 37, faces nine counts; Melieke Nemeth of Racine, 18, faces 10 counts; Tyler Deavers of Racine, 22, faces four counts; Devin Katzman of Union Grove, 27, faces four counts; Crystal Lachman of Union Grove, 30, faces one count; and Ciquil Mangum of Racine, 20, faces six counts.

Heddings and Deavers have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting status conferences in the Racine County Courthouse. The other five have yet to enter a plea, according to online court records.

According to the sheriff’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit, which investigate these types of incidents, parents should maintain an open dialogue with their children; familiarize themselves with the apps their children use and be wary of Kik Messenger, which is an app frequently used to trade child sexual abuse material, commonly known as child pornography.

Parents also are encouraged to use parental controls and make a list of the passcodes needed to access their child’s phone and apps.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/seven-racine-county-charged-child-porn/article_19034bba-efb6-11ef-bccd-07fc98e1198b.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

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