HERO program to recruit wounded warriors in the fight against cybercrimes against children

At a forensic computer lab at Fort Snelling, Department of Homeland Security digital analysts are using high-tech skills to combat child exploitation.

“We're taking them from the battlefield to the digital battlefield,” said Jamie Holt, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in St. Paul.

Mark Haegele is one of three analysts from that office participating in the agency's Human Exploitation Rescue Operative program, or HERO.

“Essentially, we’re either trying to save a child from sexual abuse or exploitation,” he explains.

The idea is to recruit wounded military personnel and train them to become digital detectives who will assist agents in seizing data-related evidence.

“We take the iPad, computers and cell phones into the office,” explains Holt. “Their job is to get into all of these devices and identify the evidence that we can use to prosecute the individual.”

Haegele, 33, has been in the program for about a year.

It's been a long journey for the father of two, who now works in the agency's North Dakota office.

“Whether I’m fighting terrorists or dangerous pedophiles, for me it’s a fight for everyone,” he says.

In April 2011, Haegele, a U.S. Marine Corps combat engineer in Afghanistan, found his life suddenly changing.

“I stepped on an IED (improvised explosive device), which resulted in a double leg amputation above the knee,” he recalls.

Haegele says there was also soft tissue damage to his arms.

He would spend more than a year at Walter Reed Medical Center recovering.

Participating in more than 100 investigations as part of the HERO program now gives him a new mission.

“I could never imagine doing anything other than my best,” says Haegele. “So these people who are doing these terrible things need to be held accountable.”

How serious is the problem?

Internet crimes against children are “exploding” in Minnesota, according to several law enforcement agencies.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said it received 9,252 cyber tips involving children last year. That's more than eight times the number in 2016.

The Fort Snelling office alone opened 274 new cases and identified 100 new victims last year.

“We have seen a huge increase in sextortion, where individuals approach young children and pretend to be specific people,” notes Holt. “They say if you don't give me more pictures or send me money, then we'll send these pictures to all your friends or family or whoever it is. It makes me sad to see what people do to children.”

For his part, Haegele hopes to work as an undercover cyber investigator sometime next year.

HERO supervisors say 28 new employees nationwide completed the program last year.

Haegele and others are working to make a difference at home.

“They used to focus on protecting our country,” Holt said. “And now they’re focused on protecting our local communities from online predators.”

You can find out more about the HERO program here.